The Living Dead
by Sarigo
Summary: EdWin, AlMay, RoyRiza.   "They're dead, but alive. Walking this ground. And you expect me to just wait it out?"
1. Chapter 1: The Infection

**A/N: Ever since my old friend stopped talking to me about anything other than her love life, I guess I've stopped caring about FMA. It used to be so important to me. To put my mind at rest, and give myself the closure I need, I decided to write one last fanfiction. For Ed. For Al. For my childhood to finally stop bugging me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**

_The Living Dead  
>by Sarigo<em>

Chapter 1

The town of Risembool had finally calmed down from its near-end. Five years had passed. Father had long since destroyed his own life. It now seemed as if nothing had ever happened; the only proof of the past being that the town's golden-haired hero was now gone. He and his brother had left to fix their wrongs and help out those who had once helped them.

Alphonse Elric, younger brother to the hero, was just getting off the train for his final return. His work was done, he could now settle down. He stepped out onto the station platform, and stretched out his back. Home at last.

"Al?"

He turned.

"Oh! Winry! Hi!"

He ran towards her. She was standing barefoot in the grass.

"Heard anything from Ed yet?" he asked her.

She smiled at him. "He'll be here in a week."

The two began walking back to Winry's house. The farms of Risembool were seemingly lifeless. Not a person in sight.

"Gee, where is everyone?"

"Probably out. There's a fair near here today. It's a few miles off; I'd take you if I weren't with a customer today."

They stood in front of the door. As Winry opened it, a large black and white creature leapt on top of her. Luckily, she caught him by the paws, and held him in an upright position.

"Settle down, Den! We have company!" she laughed, and invited Alphonse in. He entered and sat down on the couch, as Winry offered him some water. The couch hadn't changed – still the same one, the same shade of green. Winry really needed an interior decorator.

Winry left the room and Al looked at the bulletin board on the wall. The pictures were all memorable; things he had seen before. Aunt Pinako in one, Edward in another, several of Den, and a few of Al and Ed. Winry and Aunt Pinako were in one that appeared to be new, though. In fact, Al was certain he'd never seen this one.

"Hey, Winry," he started as the re-entered the room. "What's this picture?"

She sat down the glass of water on the desk beside him, and removed the photo from the wall to examine it. A soft smile reached her.

"This was in a newspaper ad for Rockbell Automail...it was taken just before she died."

"She looks so strong here."

Al smiled at her.

"Yeah," she said, pinning the picture back. "She does."

Stomps came from upstairs, and began heading down. A man of about twenty-eight walked towards them. He had brown eyes, brown hair, and only one arm.

"Oh, Al. This is Scotty – he'll be here a while. We're waiting for his infection to heal over before we attach the automail."

"Infection?"

Winry wasn't sure why men got so excited over each other's pain, and groaned as Scotty brightly began to reply.

"Yeah! I couldn't believe it! Some guy actually had the nerve to BITE me. He's got me all sick. Must have had some crazy disease. Anyways, that's the last time I'm ever offering to help an old person across a street."

Al's eyes narrowed. "Someone _bit_ you?"

"That's correct."

Al laughed to himself and placed his hand on his forehead. "People sure do get their kicks out of the strangest things."

"You're telling me?" laughed Scotty. Winry shook her head.

"You aren't supposed to be out of bed yet. What's wrong?"

"Oh, Miss Winry! I came down to ask for maybe some pain killer. I'm trying to tough it out, but this feeling is really becoming a pain in the ass."

Winry hit him upside the head. "Watch your language! I'm a woman! Go lay back down, I'll bring you some medicine."

He smiled at Al to say Nice talking to you, and left. Al laughed.

With that, Winry showed Al to a guest room, and he fell, exhausted, onto the bed.

"Wow," he muttered, restraining himself from lazily drooling on the pillow from comfort. "A bed."

.

.

The Sun didn't rise that morning.

Alphonse plodded through the house. Cold, tired. He knew where Winry kept the blankets, and headed down the hall. A quilt would be nice. They always did feel the best.

He pulled a quilt out of the hall closet, and shut the door. Immediately after, he heard an echo. Did Winry's house really echo that bad?

"Echooo!" he yelled, waiting for a response.

There was no worded response, but he did hear the door close again. As he approached the sound – which grew louder with each passing second – he felt a chill. Behind him, a girl grabbed his shoulder, causing him to jump.

It was Winry.

"Winry, you scared me."

"Shh."

Winry approached the guest bedroom door and stood about a foot away from it.

"What's wrong?" he whispered. She shook her head in reply.

"He's acting strange. This disease, I'm wondering if he got rabies. He's not really foaming at the mouth or anything but...he tried to bite me."

"Seriously? Didn't he just complain about-"

SLAM.

"...that?"

"He's been pounding on the door all morning. Honestly, Alphonse, it's kind of scaring me."

"Well, have you called a doctor yet?"

"No?"

"I'll go get the phone. Don't open this door for anything."

He headed downstairs to find the telephone. He dialed for a doctor.

It rang several times, but did not pick up. Or go to answering machine, for that matter.

He hung up, and tried once more. Nothing. With a sigh, he trudged back up the stairs, and wrapped the quilt around him as if it were fine robes.

"There was no answer."

"No answer? But it's 911. They have to answer."

"Sure, but they didn't."

SLAM.

It was really creepy, to be honest.

"Al, maybe we should try to pin him down? Inject him with pain killers?"

"Maybe. I will try to think something up."

He stared at the door for a moment, and snapped his fingers.

"Alright, I have it."

He clapped together his hands and placed them on the door. The door destroyed itself, and rebuilt itself as a cage, which surrounded Scotty. Al immediately turned to face Winry.

"See, piece of cake."

Winry's eyes widened, and she let out a scream. He turned around to see what had the very image of a corpse, reaching out to him from the bars. The area of his shoulder that showed where his arm had been amputated was now swollen three times its original size, and covered in blood vessels. Al took a step back.

"What is this?"

"Alphonse, his eyes!"

Al looked at his eyes and saw that they had no coloration. All black, everything. No pupil. No iris. All darkness.

He turned to face Winry.

"We need to go get a doctor, if it means driving to find one. I've never seen anything like this."

He went to his guest room and opened his suitcase. A coat, a pair of pants, and a shirt. He was now dressed to leave the house.

"Al, wait. Should we really just leave him here?"

"I'd rather us do that than stay here _with_ him."

He walked down the stairs briskly and opened the front door. Two steps out, he saw the world before him. And this world was covered in people. Many people. People who appeared to be dead.

_"What's going on?" _he asked, not sure he wanted an answer. He wondered if the disease had spread to the world, and realized that the idea of whatever it was spreading overnight was preposterous. He wondered how they all could look so dead, and still be alive.

Den stood behind him, growling. He'd been doing it for a while now, and Al had just then noticed. He let his growling grow louder, until he finally let out a bark. Two barks. Three.

The whole world around them looked at them, and began to drag themselves towards the house. Al slammed the door shut, and clapped his hands together.

"What are you doing?" asked Winry. Al transmuted the doors and windows into walls so that they were all shut.

"They're not people."

"How can you tell? I think it's just a virus."

"Winry. I have absolutely no idea what's going on right now, but I know that some of those people walking that ground were not...human."

"Al, you're insane," she said, heading upstairs to her balcony. She looked out the window and saw a vast amount of people. Walking. Trudging. Plodding. Dragging.

Al came into her room.

"I think...I think we should go. I need to get ahold of some people. Then we'll go."

There was no reply. Al walked up behind her and grabbed her hand, gently.

"Alphonse."

He tilted his head. Winry was covering her mouth and pointing with the hand he had hold of. He looked in the direction of her finger.

And there, he saw Pinako, staring at them. Staring at their window...

.

.

**End of Chapter Notes: Hey, this is my first time writing on my own. More action is to come in the later chapters. At the moment, I'm rather tired. I have a four-day weekend and plan on spending my time writing. This was a pretty short chapter, too, and was really more of a "Grip Chapter". Anyways, I hope you liked it, and I hope you continue reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Escape to Central

**A/N: I would sincerely appreciate any reviews. I'm trying to figure out how to make the story better, so any "plot ideas" you have will be appreciated, and more than likely used in one way or another. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.**

The train arrived that day at 3 o' clock, on the dot. Ed had told Winry not to worry about meeting him when he arrived. He was planning on going to the florist's to pick her up some flowers before he arrived. To surprise her.

_Today's the day_, he thought. _Today I'm going to propose to her._

He flipped the small black box open, and then closed it shut. He'd been doing that since he'd woken up that morning. It was a nervous action, coming from a nervous man. He felt the same way you feel in Elementary School, when you're about to deliver your biggest crush a Valentine's Card. But this was slightly deeper of a feeling. He wondered if he was blushing.

Since Risembool was a small town, not many others were on the train. There were a couple of passengers on it, who were probably not going to be getting off at this stop, but the next one.

He stood up at the train came to a halt, grabbed his luggage, placed the ring in his pocket, and headed for the exit.

Risembool was silent. The rolling hills flew at him, seeming to blow him away with their sheer beauty. He had missed this town; its rural, country feel couldn't be compared to anywhere else in the world. How long had it been? A year, perhaps?

He stood blankely on the platform for a while, and began to notice that the shops were closed. He knew that a fair was in town, because it always came this time of year.

"Hey, that's a good idea..." he mused. "I could take Winry to the fair, and propose there."

The thought of it made him grin. A roller coaster ride, about to take a steep drop. He'd look over at her as they reached the top and shout 'Will you marry me, Winry?'. Her face would flush, and before she could answer, they'd both fall several feet, gravity grabbing a tight hold on them. She'd scream through it - well, not really. It was Winry. - and as they reached the end of the ride, she'd give her answer, hopefully a yes.

He was definately blushing.

He then realized that since the stores were all closed, he wouldn't be able to stop by a florist after all.

"It's funny. Back when I could use Alchemy, I could just transmute her some..." he said, slightly missing those lazier days.

The road to Winry's house was silent. The farm animals didn't make any noises. No one was out and about. Just Ed, the road, and the wind. He reached her doorstep, and grew nervous once again. He knocked.

Den didn't bark.

Winry didn't answer. Alphonse didn't, either.

_Al,_ he thought._ I haven't seen him in forever..._

He lifted up the mat in front of the door, and found the spare key. He unlocked the door, and opened it. He began to head in, when his head hit something rather hard. Very hard, actually.

Blinking in confusion, he noticed that the door had been sealed with concrete.

"That's...weird," he stated, rubbing his forehead. He looked at the upper windows. "I wonder if something's up?"

He manuevered his way to the upper window, climbing the columns and grabbing hold of the balcony's fence. He pulled himself up and walked in through the doors. He was now in Winry's room.

He looked around. The lights were off. Winry's closet wasn't empty, but it certainly wasn't as full as usual. He looked around for clues.

"They're not here. Where could they be?"

He headed out into the hall, unable to find anything. A stench hit him that could have knocked him dead. The smell wasn't familiar. Or...was it?

He gagged. The smell of blood. The smell of death. Something he hadn't smelled in a long time, the same odor that was inside of that humonculus, Gluttony.

"Winry?" he asked, in fear. Had something happened?

Trying to put two and two together, he concured that someone who could use alchemy had been in the house, sealing the doors. He might have very well hurt Winry, and Al. And he could have left them here.

The thought of it made him shiver. _No, Alphonse is tougher than that!_

Moaning was heard from down the hall. A man's moan. Perhaps Al had harmed the attacker and fled with Winry? That would mean that the attacker was still in the house. His gun was in his briefcase, which was still by the front door. He looked around for something he could use to harm the attacker. With nothing around, he decided to go ahead and find the source of the noise.

In the guest bedroom, there was a large, empty wooden cage. Blood was covering the floor below it. The cage looked as if it had been smashed on one side. That was the side facing away from Ed. Edward recognized this cage as a design of Alphonse's.

"So Al fought back," he smiled, knowing that Al had probably escaped with Winry.

Step, step, step.

He turned right and saw a man with black eyes, brown hair, and a missing arm. The minute he saw him, he was attacked and pushed against a wall. He yelled, using his arms to push the attacker off of him. The man wasn't clearly attacking, though. In fact, his arm was trying to grab Ed, his legs were motionless, and his head was reached forward. He kept clapping his teeth together.

Was he trying to bite him?

Ed lifted up the automail leg and kicked the man, sending him flying to the other side of the room. He ran to Winry's room, and headed out to the balcony. He was going to have to jump, he didn't have time to climb down. Where was Al? Where was Winry?

He prepared to jump, and was suddenly grabbed hold of. He looked behind him and saw that the man had a firm grip on his leg - with his mouth.

"GET OFF ME!" he yelled, punching the man in the face. He applied just enough force to knock him back and get out of his bite. Jumping off the ledge, Edward landed on his feet on the ground below. This was just enough force to shock him and render him immobile for a bit.

Looking at the horizon, he noticed that he was being watched. One person, staring at him. Her hair was wild, even mangy. Her eyes were narrow. She was barely recognizeable, especially from this distance.

"Pinako...? No...that can't be...you're dead..."

He stood up, and squinted his eyes to see her clearer. Her eyes, like the man he'd just escaped, were all blackness. He gasped, the way you do when you're hit by a sudden chill, and felt that his feet were able to move again. He began to run, but felt as if he weren't controlling his own body. Like his legs were moving faster than he wanted them to.

_Where do I go?_ _Should I try to catch the train back to Central?_

He felt his body, like it was being controlled by a remote, running towards the train station he had only departed from an hour ago. What he found there, was that the train had only gone a bit further after dropping him off - about two minutes after - before it collided with another train.

He dropped to his knees at the sight.

"How? How did this happen?" he asked, voice growing more and more weak. The area around the train was almost all fire. "None of this makes any sense!"

He looked around. He knew that he had departed the last train from Central, so if he headed the way he had previously gone he should be alright.

The trip towards Central, he didn't stop running. If he looked to his left or right, occasionally he'd see a person watching him with those black, animalistic eyes. When he felt like he was going to run out of energy, his body would just keep moving.

He ran for what seemed like forever, and finally came to a bridge. He stopped, and sat down beside the tracks.

"Damn," he whispered. "How long am I going to have to run?"

He pulled out his wallet and a small sheet of white paper fell out of his pocket. He flipped it over. A photo.

It was of Winry, a few years back.

He smiled, and stroked her face on the picture. She was so beautiful..

_The ring._

He wanted to cry.

"What kind of fool am I? Why didn't I just tell her I loved her before this? She could be dead!"

The thought of this forced the tears out. They were painful tears.

In the distance, a train was heard. It slowly began to form a shape, and it crossed the bridge. It zoomed past him.

When it disappeared from view again, another thing came into view. A horde. The dead-like people, they were all walking together, plodding themselves around like they were in a swamp. And they were walking to him.

He stood back up. This pain, this muscle pain. He hadn't felt it in forever.

Quickly, he began to run across the tracks on the bridge. It was dangerous, yeah, but so was sitting there. Once or twice he felt himself beginning to trip, but then he caught his balance.

"Don't let yourself die, Ed!" he shouted to himself, pointlessly.

When he reached the edge of the bridge, he was suddenly lifted off the ground and thrown against a rock. Could it be another one of those people?

He began to kick, scream, and punch. A hand grabbed his.

"Cool it, Elric."

That voice...

"Don't make so much noise, please."

Another?

They weren't registering. He felt like he should know who was talking to him, but he couldn't place it. He whimpered, when a gunshot was sounded. The shot knocked some sense back into him.

"Mustang? Hawkeye?"

.

.

The "Saferoom" was underground, surrounded by metal. If Ed had to guess, he'd say it was titanium. He looked back at the table as Hawkeye placed his food in front of him.

"Eat. You look like you've run yourself to death."

He glared up at Mustang, and began to eat.

"Mff, mff-ffm?" Ed asked while shoveling the food into his mouth.

"Swallow. You're not in a rush right now."

He chewed and swallowed.

"What were those things?" he repeated. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Mustang stood up and walked towards a winerack, and poured two glasses of wine.

"I might as well tell you. They're dead."

"...huh?"

"They're also alive. But they're dead. They don't think, or have feelings. They're basically walking corpses."

"But how?"

"We're not sure."

He handed Edward a glass, and sat down across from him. Riza sat between them, near the middle of the table.

"Elric, you're looking for your brother, aren't you? And Winry," Riza asked him.

He sighed and took a sip of his wine.

"I went back," he said. "To Risembool..."

The room was dim. Mustang looked older, but not so bad for his age. Riza was still beautiful, and still had that fire burning in her. Ed could feel it across the room. He began to wonder if he'd changed since they'd last seen each other.

"I was done paying off my debts. I was going...well," he said, pulling out his ring. "I was going to propose to her. Winry, that is. And Alphonse and me were going to finish building houses for ourselves - that's been a project of ours for a while now. And when I got there, no one was out. I thought maybe they were at the fair...but...anyways, I got into the house - Winry's house - and found one of those _things_ in the guest room. The entrances to the lower floor of the house were all sealed up with concrete. I need to find my brother. And Winry."

"I'm afraid that's a bad idea," stated Mustang. "Where were you headed?"

"Back to Central."

"That's stupid. The size of that city, the amount of population, they're everywhere. Those...zombies. And they'll rip you apart."

"But what about my brother? What about Winry?"

The door to the Saferoom was being slammed on. The people had followed Ed across the bridge and had been slamming on it for some time now.

"You're just going to have to wait this out. If they're dead, eventually they'll all decompose or something."

"Wait it out?" Ed shouted, slamming his fists on the table, knocking his wine over.

"They'll kill you."

"They're dead, but alive. Walking this ground. And you expect me to just _wait it out_? What about my family?"

"Calm down, Elric."

"No!"

Mustang was slightly surprised. Elric had always been one of the few to say no to him.

"I will not calm down. I'm leaving tomorrow, to find them. And if you're not going with me, then that's your own damn fault."

**End-Of-Chapter Notes: So lately, I've been having troubles trying to find an anime that DOESN'T suck that I haven't already seen. After a few months of stalking Netflix, I decided to give Eden of the East ago.**

**Watch it. It's so good, I nearly died. True story.**


	3. Chapter 3: All Is One, and One Is All

**A/N: While searching Pinterest, I found a quote. And it's absolutely adorable. Since I don't speak Peter Cullen, I never did understand what the hell Optimus Prime was saying. But reading it, I fell in love with the quote. It kinda reminds me of the last chapter, too. The quote is: "The greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how they love them while they're alive."  
>Damn bro, that's deep.<strong>

**_Reviews Appreciated_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist.**

**.**

**.**

On the list of places Alphonse would go, only a few really stood out to Ed.

There was Xing. They had a few friends there. It was a while off, though.

There was Central. It would make sense if it weren't so overrun with - what had Mustang called them? - Zombies.

There was Dublith, where their old teacher Izumi Curtis had resided.

Nothing else really made sense, if Alphonse wanted his brother to find him. The area around Fort Briggs would be good defense against Zombies - they'd freeze. The desert between Amestris and Xing would also work - the decomposition would occur faster. But Al would definately be somewhere he knew Ed could find him.

He decided to go for Dublith. He picked himself up and headed to the door. The dead alive people were still there. He'd need weapons.

He searched the room. The only weapons found belonged to Riza, and he wasn't going to be stealing a gun from her any time soon. He found that there was really nothing in here that wasn't being put to use.

"Going somewhere, Fullmetal?"

He turned and saw Mustang, wide awake.

"I don't go by that anymore."

"Some things just stick around."

Mustang scratched his jaw, where stubble was beginning to grow. Ed watched him drag himself off the floor.

"I've decided I will go with you."

Ed was surprised.

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. I need some razors. And we'll need more weapons. I'd rather not see you leave this place without a weapon. So, I'll go with you."

"I'll go too."

Ed turned and saw that Riza had sat up, which frightened him a little.

"It's dangerous out there, Hawkeye."

"That's exactly why I'm going, sir," she stated, checking her semi-automatic pistols for bullets. "I'd rather not have you boys dying on me now."

Mustang smiled. Ed let out a sigh.

"Are you sure?" Ed asked. "After all, it's a risk."

"You said it yourself: 'And you expect me to just wait it out?' Isn't that right?"

For once, Edward was glad that he had Mustang around.

"Where do we need to go?" Riza asked.

"Dublith. It's where our old teacher lived - Izumi Curtis."

"The housewife?" Mustang asked.

"The housewife."

Mustang straightened up his uniform, which Ed noticed had a few blood stains on it, and approached the door. Barring the door from the outside was a metal bar. He pulled it out, and handed it to Ed.

"You probably won't need this, but just in case..."

Ed took it and practiced swinging it a few times, to get used to the weight. He nodded, and Mustang opened the door. A few Zombies were outside, standing around. They all turned and looked at them, and started walking to them.

Mustang, putting on his best nonchalant appearance, put his right hand in front of him.

*Snap*

He set them all on fire. The smell was horrible, but overall not as bad as their general smell. Perhaps it was the fact that they were being killed that made the smell less putrid.

"The fire will probably attract others. We should get moving now," said Hawkeye, heading back down the bridge Ed had crossed the previous night.

"After we cross this bridge, we should take an immediate right turn, where the tracks bend. If we keep heading straight from there, and don't follow the tracks, then we should arrive at Rush Valley," Mustang replied. "Dublith is directly south of there."

_Rush Valley,_ Edward thought._ Perhaps we should stop there?_

.

.

Day after day, night after night, it seemed more and more of the undead would chase them. Edward would write down their behaviors in his mind. Shoot them in the head, they die. Burn them, they die. They aren't using their hearts, so that won't do anything. Cutting off limbs will slow them down.

When they reached Rush Valley, the amount of them seemed to die down.

The city was quiet. Many houses were boarded up, or sealed using Alchemy.

"If they got the hint and sealed up their houses, then perhaps this town isn't full of them. Maybe there are some survivors."

Mustang turned to Ed, who looked like he desperately wanted to hear some good news.

"You might be on the right track, Elric."

"Well, should we look for some?"

"That's not a horrible idea. It's your time we're wasting. I'm going to go look for razors. Meet me right here in an hour."

Mustang and Hawkeye left him, standing awkwardly in the middle of town. He began to search for something, or anything, that might look like a Saferoom.

"Hello?" he shouted. "Can anyone hear me?"

He heard running. He turned right and saw that someone had just run into an alley.

"Hey! Wait up!"

He ran after their shadow, trying to find them. Hopefully it wasn't a Zombie, but he had yet to see one run. He turned the corner into the alley, and was immediately greeted with a gun being pointed straight at him.

"W-wait! I'm not one of them!" he yelled, dropping his iron bar.

The boy who held the gun was short. He had curly brown hair, tan skin, and green eyes. He held the gun in front of him shakily, like he was afraid.

"I'm not a Zombie! Put the gun down!"

"Stop yelling!" the kid shouted, and shot.

The bullet seemed to fly in slow motion. Ed gulped, watching the bullet fly. Could he duck? No, he was in slow motion. He was stuck in place, watching death come for him.

It flew by him, and he finally ducked. If he had been shot at, he would have died.

"Hey, what was that-" he started, turning around to see where the bullet had landed. The kid had shot straight past him and into the head of a Zombie that was only a foot away from him. "-for?"

The kid stood up and approached him, shaking his head.

"If someone's aiming a gun at you, move!" he yelled, before checking the now completely dead man's clothes. Was he looting him?

"Why you-didn't anyone ever teach you manners?"

The kid smirked.

"They sure did, pops. But that was before the world ended."

"What if you had shot me?"

"Then you wouldn't have been bitten by the Zombie directly behind you. So, you wouldn't have reanimated. It's a win-win situation."

"Yeah, for you maybe!"

The kid laughed, and then gasped.

"Hey, aren't you..."

Ed tilted his head, and then smiled. He knew where this was going.

"You're Edward Elric!"

"That's right. In the flesh."

"Well then. You saved the world once. Save it again."

Ed's smile faded.

"I'm not allowed to say my name, by the way."

"Well, No Name, do you know if there are any others? Survivors, that is?"

"Oh, yeah. There's a huge group of us, if you'd like to stick around. Of course, it could only be temporary, but if you need food, we have plenty."

"I have others. Two others. If they're able to tag along, then that sounds just fine."

The boy nodded, and went with Ed back to the waiting spot. A cleanly shaved Mustang returned shortly.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"I'm No Name, now come on already. We're going to eat."

.

.

The group of survivors was massive. Ed recognized a few - Paninya, the former thief, and woman named Satilla that Winry had once helped deliver a baby for.

"So how are you all surviving so well? What's your secret?" Ed asked, curiously.

"We almost all have automail. The ones that do are sent out daily to find a survivor. The younger ones - like myself - are sent out to practice killing zombies."

"How old are you, anyways?"

"Seven, going on eight."

"What? But you're so smart!"

Satilla smiled at him.

"Edward, this is my baby. The one your darling friend Winry helped deliver. He's always been the smartest of his class. Even the older boys would go to him for help sometimes."

Ed smiled, and quickly frowned.

"Damnit, now I feel old."

"Nonsense. How long has it been since you saved the world, five years?"

"Yeah, and I was eighteen then."

"So you're twenty-three, and you feel old?"

Everyone laughed, including him.

"Oh, Edward. Winry came through here a while ago," Paninya said during the later silence.

His eyes widened.

"Did she say where she was going? Do you know anything?"

"She said that Al and her were going to some island...remote and away from the Hell out here. Also, another girl was with them."

"Another girl?"

"Short, Xingese...she looked pretty young, about 18?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I know her."

Now that he knew where they were headed, he felt relaxed, like he could actually put his mind at ease.

"I'm going to sleep."

"That's fine. Are you leaving early tomorrow?"

"Probably."

She smiled.

"Then it was nice seeing you again."

"Yeah. It'd be nice to know Satilla's child's name."

"Well, we're told not to make connections with others. In case of death."

Ed sighed, and closed his eyes.

_That isn't fair,_ he thought.

.

.

They left at sunrise.

"Do you know where we're going?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. When Al and I were little, we were sent off to an island by our teacher to learn a lesson. Oh, what was that lesson..."

He drifted off into thought, and then snapped his fingers.

"All is one, and one is all!"

**End-of-Chapter Notes: Well, the next chapter is not going to be about Edward's group. I'm trying to decided whether to make it about Al, Winry, and May, or Lin and Lanfan. They haven't been mentioned yet, but I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to bring them in yet, or if they should be brought in closer to the end. Hm. Wait. I have an idea. Yes. Splendid.  
>Until next time, thanks for reading!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: No Smoking Allowed

**A/N: It's excruciatingly hard to write a Zombie Horror flick with Revenge of the Nerds playing in the background. I was just writing about bringing Alphonse back to the butcher shop, when I hear "Hair pie! Hair pie!" Hahaha.**

**Ew.**

_**Reviews Appreciated**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.**

The sun was blinding.

Alphonse had dug a tunnel from Risembool to Dublith, using Alchemy all along the way. He was tired, but he knew that any confrontation with those things could hurt Winry. It was her life over his. Of course, along the way he'd dig upwards, if he was lost and needed to know where they were. Whenever he'd go up, he'd leave Winry in the tunnel, and seal it back up.

His first mistake was going to Central City. When he popped up from that one, he was in the building of a banking office. No one was in there. The glass doors were all locked, and on the outside, he could see thousands of the dead things walking around. He had climbed up to the roof, to get a look out over the city. There were a few groups of people on other roofs, but they were all dead.

The one good thing about even coming to the surface, was that he found someone he knew.

Running towards the building she was in, Alphonse had to kill his way through many of the undead. Each time he did, he'd cry "Sorry!" and continue running. Eventually he reached her – May Chang – On the rooftop of Central HQ.

"May!"

She turned towards him and jumped, smiling like a little girl.

"Alphonse-sama!" she said in her Xingese accent, running to him and hugging him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for you! Xing is overrun with those monster things, and I thought maybe you could help...but then, looks like this place is also overrun, huh?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah. But we're going somewhere safe to try and wait it out. These things have to die eventually."

"I sure hope so..."

She looked away into the sunset.

"Would you like to go with us, May?"

She looked at him, and nodded. "If Xiao-Mei can come too?"

Xiao-Mei, May's small panda bear, crawled over to them.

Al laughed. "Of course she can. Now let's get moving before the sun sets. I kind of left Winry in the tunnel."

The two ran back across the street, Alphonse clearing the way through the mass of undead. Al ran around the back, where he had transmuted a door, and lead her in. No undead had found the door yet, luckily. He re-opened the hole and jumped in with her, sealing the whole.

"Hey, Alphonse-sama?" May asked as they approached Winry. "Where's Ed?"

.

.

In case of any accidents, say that someone had gotten into the tunnel, Alphonse transmuted a gun for Winry along the way. He hadn't given it to her yet, and didn't plan on it until they really and truly needed it. The gun was a revolver, with 6 bullets in it. Any time she would run out, Al would transmute more. That was his plan for her – as for himself, he'd simply create a weapon any time he needed one. At the moment, he carried only her gun and his.

Winry looked up at the exit, and squinted.

"The Sun's right over us," she took note, and looked back at Al and May.

"Sure is bright," replied May.

Al used up more energy transmuting a flight of stairs. The three headed up, and found themselves in Dublith.

"Hey," Al whispered. "This is right where my teacher lives."

"It sure is," replied Winry in a hushed tone. They had learned not to talk loudly – it caught unwanted attention. There were undead in the area. They had also learned that they were called "Zombies", at least they were in Rush Valley.

"Should we check it out?" asked May.

Al didn't respond and simply walked to the door and opened it. He shook his head.

"It's unlocked. They usually keep the house part of the butcher shop locked. They're not here."

"You sure do know them well," admired May.

"Well, they're kind of like family I guess."

They all walked away from the house, towards Kauroy Lake. They'd take the route with the least Zombies. Since Al only carried a gun, they now relied on May's martial arts to get them through. After all, if an area isn't crowded, why make it that way?

When they reached the lake, Al made a boat, which kind of pushed him. He'd certainly used a lot of Alchemy lately. It didn't take much effort at all, but he'd done a lot.

"You okay, Al?" Winry asked, concerned.

.

.

"Dublith is still a day off, no matter what speed you take it at. No need to run."

"I'll run if I want! Every minute taken away from the total means something to me."

Roy and Ed had been at it for two days now. If it weren't Mustang, Hawkeye would have killed them both long ago. She had no choice but to tough it out.

"You're so childish. You really haven't changed."

"Well at least I haven't turned into an old man."

The arguing was really getting on her nerves.

Suddenly, she pointed her gun forward and shot. Ed and Mustang both jumped.

"Wha?"

"Both of you shut up and look forward."

They looked forward and saw that their arguing had attracted the attention of an entire horde of Zombies.

"Shit."

Elric lifted up his iron pipe, which had yet to be used. Mustang placed his hand in front of Ed, and snapped with his other. The horde was surrounded by a ring of fire.

"Mustang, that's a great move and all, but don't you think it's too flashy?" Ed asked.

"What are you talking about?"

Ed pointed to an even larger horde coming up from around the ring of fire. Mustang groaned.

"I'll just do it again."

He snapped once more and sat the others on fire.

"If I keep doing it, eventually there won't be anymore in the area."

"Your logic is poor."

Edward headed to the fire.

"The town of Dublith is ahead. Now we have to go around the flames."

"No, we won't," Hawkeye said, pointing up. Thunder cracked, and rain poured from the sky. It quickly picked up and became a storm.

"That's just great," Mustang groaned, removing his gloves.

"Well, hopefully your theory is right, Mustang. I sure would hate to see any more large groups."

"Shut it."

They all proceeded forward, to Dublith.

"Al," Ed sighed. "I hope you're there..."

.

.

"Alphonse, say something!" May shouted. Winry looked around. The Zombies had left the area and headed south as a flock. Something wasn't right.

"I'm alright," he moaned. "I just haven't eaten anything in a while."

"Well then, why don't we go get food before we go to this island?"

"I suppose you're right...but where? The fruit at the markets is bound to be old by now. My teacher's butcher shop, too. It's been a week."

"Well, food doesn't expire that fast," Winry laughed hesitantly ."Unless it was all older beforehand. Let's go, Al."

It was sort of beginning to seem like Al was losing his mind. He hadn't eaten much at all this week. He ate at Dublith, and before they left from Risembool. Those were really the only times Winry had seen him eat.

"Come on," Mei spoke gently. "We'll get you food, and stay the night at your teacher's. We'll seal off the entrances."

.

.

Once they reached Dublith, Ed noticed that there was a fairly small amount of Zombies walking around. In fact, he only saw one, and that was at the entrance. Perhaps they were like Rush Valley, in that the amount of Zombies was near zero? But then, this town didn't seem to have anyone with Automail living in it.

He had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Perhaps he shouldn't have left Roy and Riza behind. But then, they were too slow, and Mustang kept starting fires once the rain stopped that night. He didn't want to be with attention whores any longer, especially not Zombie attention whores.

Whatever. He was going to go straight to the Lake. The sooner he was reunited, the better.

The town had several buildings that had blood splatters on them. They weren't fresh, and were probably a few days old. He had no way of telling whose blood it was, but since Zombies mostly bit people, it didn't seem like they would cause such massive blood splatters. In fact, these looked like they came from gunshots.

His stomach growled. He had eaten a ration last night, but he had yet to eat today.

"Oh, shut up, stomach," he growled back. Thunder boomed around him. He wondered if the rain would start up again, and what Mustang would do the next time a horde came for him.

It wasn't until he fell to his knees that he realized it wasn't thunder, but a gun. He turned around to see who had shot.

Blonde hair. A black coat. Jeans. And the most beautiful pair of blue eyes in the world. She stood with her legs slightly parted, and her hands trembling. She dropped the gun.

"So it is you, Edward..."

He blinked, and felt two arms wrap around him.

"I'm so happy you're okay!"

"W-Winry...you're alive..."

He blushed, and quickly wrapped around her as well.

"I've been looking for you all week. Risembool's a madhouse."

"I know."

He grabbed onto her even tighter.

"Al is at your old teacher's house. He was starving, so we had to feed him before we left."

"Al...that's great. I hear May Chang is with you, too. Is that right?"

She smiled and nodded.

"She seems like she really likes him," she remarked, blushing a little. Ed nodded.

"Hey, Winry?"

"Yeah?"

"Since you kind of shot the joint in my leg, can you help me up?"

She blushed even darker and nodded, standing up and grabbing his hand. She pulled him up.

"It's been forever," she sighed.

"Yeah. It's so good to see you, you have no idea."

He remembered thinking about how foolish he was, for never telling her his feelings. Was now a good moment?

_No, it's too sudden. I need to wait until we're at least somewhere safe._

_But then, what if I never see her again? If something bad happens before we return?_

Ed looked at her and smiled. He stroked her hair with the hand that was over her shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered to her in his most charming voice he could manage.

"Mmhm?"

He blushed, and looked at the ground.

_You idiot. Look her in the eyes. You need to see her reaction. You'll ruin it._

He looked at her, and just before he could say anything, he noticed a Zombie. Two Zombies. Three. Four.

They weren't far. They weren't close.

"Winry, we need to go."

She turned, saw them, and nodded. She ran, holding onto him, towards the teacher's house. They turned a corner. Zombies. They turned another way. Zombies. They were everywhere, closing in on them. If they tried to go back, the Zombies were there as well. Winry's gun was dropped a while back. Edward's weapon was, also. They stood in complete fear, and dropped to the ground.

_Edward, you're going to die._

His life began to slowly flash before his eyes.

_You're going to die, and so is Winry._

He looked at her. Tears were falling down her face quickly.

"Winry!"

She turned to him with fear in her eyes.

"I need to tell you this! I-"

The Zombies were closing in.

"I love you, damnit!"

He pressed his lips to hers, catching her by total surprise. She held her eyes there for a moment, and then slowly began to close them. He backed off.

"Will you marry me?"

Winry blinked, and shook her head.

"You realize we're going to die, don't you? Stupid."

"I'm asking you this now!"

She stared at him, and continued crying, holding onto him.

"Yes! I'll marry you!"

The Zombies were all around two feet away from them, closing in for the kill.

**End-of-Chapter Notes: I've decided to be a total troll and leave it here. Keep you hooked, and stuff. Yeah.**

**OMG. I've been writing for two hours. I really need to get out of my PJs. It's freaking 2:50. D:**


	5. Chapter 5: Familiar Faces

**A/N: Another awkward scenario is when you're watching an episode of an anime (Eden of the East, in this case), and your parents happen to walk in. No matter what you're watching, the worst things always seem to happen around parents. That episode is probably going to cause my parents to question me...again. Sigh.**

_**Reviews Appreciated**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.**

The infection took four hours to spread to Central City. The first person to become infected was in East City. It spread quickly, probably by train. In any case, Eastern HQ contacted Central HQ about it just before communications were cut off with the East. Central City had just enough time to get its military together and evacuate a few people to trains heading for Fort Briggs, before it was attacked by this virus. What it was, no one was particularly sure.

The military had assigned a few doctors to look at a living Zombie to try and figure it out. They learned that it did not bite animals, but would do everything in its ability to go for a human. There wasn't a found cure, because shortly after the testing began, the Zombie broke free of its binding, and got hold of the doctor, and a few other military officials who had yet to find out its weak spots, and instead shot the legs and arms.

The disease then began to spread throughout HQ, from the inside to the outside. The military was then surrounded between the Zombies at HQ, and the Zombies in the town.

Frightened, the military all turned towards its highest military ranking officer, General Roy Mustang. He was frozen in thought as to what to do, while his men shot towards HQ and the city. It was only a matter of time before they were overtaken. He put on his gloves.

"I'm going to clear a path," he stated loudly. Everyone was listening, but continuing to shoot. "Those of you who want to go with me are free to do so. The military is going to be overrun. Ranks will probably not mean anything anymore. If you want to do your own thing, find your family, or anything other, than you may follow me and leave on your own, or clear your own path. I'm heading south, outside of the city, to find a safer place. There should actually be an old shelter near there, and that will be our place of refuge. If you are bitten, it is your choice to either leave the pack, or be shot. If you are seperated, head south on your own. Is that clear?"

A few of his men stood up, then more. They did not salute, because they were still firing. But, in unison, they all replied.

"I'm going, sir!" some shouted.

"I'm going to find my family!" shouted others.

Everyone was in on this. Mustang looked at his subordinate, Hawkeye, who simply nodded at him that she would be behind him every step of the way.

Placing his fingers together, he snapped at his left side. A line of fire arose, blocking off the city Zombies. He snapped right - the HQ Zombies were blocked as well. It would only be a matter of time before they found their way around the fire.

"Follow me," he instructed.

"Aye, sir!"

Behind him, the entirety of Central's Armed Forces marched. People he'd worked with for ages - Havoc, Breda, Feury, and Falman - were the closest, next to Hawkeye, who stood beside him at all times.

He thought about sending Alicia and Gracia off on the train to Fort Briggs, and was thankful that he'd made sure they were sent off. He couldn't live with himself if they had been caught up in this.

He also thought about Elric, and wondered where he was. Of all the people in the world, Elric would probably survive this.

He had to burn several buildings down, to prevent Zombies from escaping them. He also had to set fire to several alleyways, if they were overcrowded. Now and then, he'd order his men to open fire on enemies in an alley, if he knew he couldn't just burn them.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, why are we sticking to the alleys? Wouldn't the main roads be quicker?" asked Havoc.

Mustang sighed, and continued walking without giving an answer. That is, until they reached a fenced-off alleyway. He pointed forward.

"See that, Havoc?" he pointed out. "That massive crowd of Zombies there? The more room they have, the more there will be. The alleys, no matter how slow they are, are safer. And I'm not willing to let you all just die on me. Especially not like that."

He pointed to the left alley. A body was on the ground, half eaten. It appeared to be missing most of its internal organs, pieces of it's brain, and most of its flesh. This was the body of a man, with fear in his cold, dead eyes. Feury covered his eyes, trying not to vomit.

"What has this world come to?" he asked, holding onto his stomach with his right hand.

They made it about halfway to safety. The fires Mustang had previously set were now throwing themselves from building to building. Some of the weaker ones collapsed. Mustang looked at his men.

"Does anyone need to leave?" he asked the crowd. One man raised his hand.

"My wife and kids live nearby."

"Go on, then. If you go right and head straight from there, there won't be many of those things."

"Yes sir."

He ran off, losing his military appearance as he ran, and beginning to look more like a frightened child.

"General Mustang?"

He turned to the speaker - Hawkeye.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Earlier, what did you call those monsters?"

"The infected people?"

"Yes, sir."

He remembered Madame Christmas, his adoptive mother, telling her horror stories when he was younger. Horror stories about horrible, cannibalistic creatures, who had lost their minds from disease.

"Zombies. They're Zombies."

He continued walking, when the very ground below them shook.

"What is that?" yelled his army.

"Is it an Earthquake?"

"In Central? Are you kidding?"

"They've happened before!"

"Not naturally!"

Mustang looked around and saw that the building beside him was collapsing - and fast.

"EVERYONE, RUN!" he ordered, running forwards. He didn't even realize that he had grabbed Hawkeye by the hand and was nearly dragging her behind him. His people ran as fast as they could, but couldn't seem to keep up. He made it past the building.

The building was a monster, coming down on them like a giant foot.

"Run!"

The last face he saw was Havoc's, as the burning building fell on top of him, and the rest of the crew...

.

.

"HAVOC!"

He sat up quickly, and shook himself. His heartbeat was fast, almost non-human. Hawkeye was next to him, watching him.

"You were having a nightmare, sir."

"Well for God's sake, why didn't you wake me?"

She looked down.

"Because I wanted to remember."

He stared at her in confusion. He shook his head.

"Why would you ever want to remember that nightmare? All of our men, and women - dead. Gone."

"It reminds me that I'm still alive, and not in some sort of dream," she responded, with a hint of sadness. He let it go, not wanting to genuinly hurt her feelings.

"You know," he murmured. "It doesn't even seem like they died..."

"That's because it happened so fast, sir."

"Well, I suppose you're right."

He stared forward.

"What time is it?"

"If my watch hasn't died yet, it's very early. 4 o' clock."

"Where's Elric?"

She looked around.

"I was asking myself the same question a moment ago, sir. It looks like he just ran off."

"He did _what?_"

Hawkeye stared at him, all seriousness in her face.

"I guess he couldn't wait any longer to be with his family."

"Why that little... Now what do we do?"

"You tell me sir - you're higher in command."

He sighed. You couldn't take the military out of this woman.

"It hasn't stopped raining, I see."

He stood up and looked outside of the tent Edward had transmuted for them.

"Sure is cold out, too. Come, Hawkeye. We'll go to Dublith as well, and then-"

He paused, and didn't say a word more. Hawkeye blinked.

"Sir?"

He still didn't speak.

"Mustang?"

She stood up and walked outside as well, and she was also speechless.

About a mile away, a horde of Zombies approached. The rain wasn't letting up, either.

"Should we run?"

"Depends. How much ammo do we have?"

"Not much at all. We forgot to stock up on weapons when we were in Rush Valley, like we were supposed to."

They stood, paralyzed. When they turned around, they noticed that they were coming from the other side as well.

Surrounded.

"Hawkeye. What all do we have on us?"

"This tent, seven bullets, and whatever clothes are on our backs."

"Anything else?"

She went inside and checked Mustang's bag.

"A pack of razors, sir."

"Damn, how could I have been so stupid?" he asked himself. The Zombies were slow creatures, but they sure did seem like they were approaching fast.

Riza decided to shoot.

One. Through a head. Two, another headshot. Three got them in the neck, and four completely knocked their head off. Five got the one behind that one.

"It's no use, sir. It doesn't seem like there's an end."

He groaned, and looked up at the dark clouds. Was this really how it was all meant to end? Anticlimatic, stuck in the middle of nowhere?

"You have two bullets left, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

He looked at her with deep, dark thought in his eyes. She took a step back.

"No," she whispered. "We're not taking that way out."

He sighed.

"We'll be ripped limb from limb."

"Yes, I'm well aware."

All hope was lost.

And somewhere, in the distance, a cry was heard.

Two cries.

Mustang turned around.

There was blood everywhere, it seemed. The Zombies coming from Central were all being cut apart by what appeared to be swordplay.

"A sword?" he asked, causing Hawkeye to turn as well. She smiled.

"Yes, sir. I believe our luck just came back."

"Who is that?"

The Zombies were soon all dead on that side. Mustang was in shock.

"Can two people really do that much?"

Running towards them were two people they had certainly not expected to see. Hawkeye immediately reckognized them.

Mustang had no idea who they were, at least not off the top of his head.

"Why, look who's here," she remarked. "Emperor Ling Yao of Xing, and his partner Lan Fan. Is that correct?"

Ling smiled at her, boyishly.

"Yo. It's been a while. Seems like every time we run into each other, the world's ending."

She nodded.

"How did you find us?" she asked.

"It was easy," spoke Lan Fan. "We saw smoke here a few hours ago, from a tall fire. The rain put it out. Then, when all of those creatures headed away from us, we knew someone had to be out here."

"We actually came looking for the Elric brothers, to see what they're doing about all of this. Doesn't look like they're very well off in Amestris, either."

"We should have actually listened to the letter sent to us from Chang," sighed Lan Fan.

"Letter? How did she send a letter?" asked Mustang, just then realizing who they were.

"Carrier Pigeon," replied Ling. He looked up. "Now, we'll get these guys off your backs. It would be smart to get some weapons, soon."

He dashed off, Lan Fan behind him. They created a passage between the Zombies with their swords, and ran to Dublith. They were pursued, and the undead seemed to forget who they were originally after anyways.

.

.

"So, we're going to Dublith?" Riza asked, unsure. Mustang nodded.

"It won't always be raining, you know. The rain is bound to stop soon. They should also have weapons there. But it _is_ the closest town."

"Will we be meeting with the Elric brothers?"

"If luck permits it," he groaned. "I have a few things I wanna say to that punk."

Hawkeye smiled at him.

"Well, luck was good to us today. It might not be so bad now."

"True."

They headed off, to Dublith. It was a few hours off.

"I hope," Mustang worried, "I hope that Elric is already at the island."

**End-Of-Chapter Notes: Yay, Chapter Five is finished! I've been looking forward to writing this for, well, two days. But that's a long time. To me, anyways. I'm wondering if I should go ahead and write another chapter, or if I should write it and not post it for a while. Because I love torturing everyone.**


	6. Chapter 6: Pressure Points

**A/N: Meh, I couldn't resist posting this fast. It was exciting me too much. Back when I used my DeviantART, I always told myself that I'd wait until the end of the month to post everything, but I got so excited about posting it, that I'd end up coloring it and submitting it that night. I'm bad at that.**

_**Reviews Appreciated**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist.**

Ling looked behind him occasionally to make sure that they were still being followed. His plan was that, once he got into the town, he and Lan Fan would leap up onto a rooftop and pick off a few every hour or so. The horde, as he had hoped, was still following behind him.

"Lan Fan!" he shouted. "See the ladder on the side of that brick building?"

"Yes, sir?"

"We're going to climb it, and then cut it down. That's our starting position for the extermination."

"As you wish."

She ran ahead of him and climbed the ladder swiftly. Ling seemed to wait for the Zombies to be closer before he climbed.

That was a mistake.

As he climbed up, his right leg was grabbed by a Zombie.

"Let go of me!" he yelled. Lan Fan tossed a dagger into the Zombie's head, forcing him to let go as he fell to the ground. Ling climbed faster and cut the ladder just as the Zombies were about to start climbing.

"They seem to be learning fast. At least, with their climbing abilities," noted Lan Fan.

"They're just hungry."

Ling watched them swarm around the building.

"Are you okay, sir?" Lan Fan asked him, checking him for cuts, bruises, or - hopefully not - bites.

"I'm fine. Almost wasn't. Thank you for saving me."

She smiled.

"It's my duty to protect you. You know that."

"Well, I'm not so sure that matters anymore."

They sat on the rooftop for a while, watching the sunrise. Ling looked at Lan Fan.

"You know," he mentioned, "Everyone always watches the sun rise, but does anyone ever watch the moon fall?"

Lan Fan looked at him with keen interest, and turned herself around.

"It's weird," she replied. "The moon is still white, but the clouds in the sky are pink, and the sky itself is a brighter blue. It's pretty."

Ling laughed, and then jumped up to his feet.

"What is it?" asked Lan Fan.

"I thought I heard yelling," he replied, looking around. He noticed that some of the Zombies were leaving their pack and heading elsewhere.

Lan Fan stood up and approached him, trying to spot what it could have been.

"Would you like me to find out where it came from?"

"I'll go with you. It's not that I heard yelling, it's that I heard _his_ yelling."

His eyes widened.

"There it is again!"

.

.

"Alphonse!"

Silence.

"Alphonse, wake up! Winry's gone, Al! I'm not sure how she got out, but she did!"

Al sat up immediately.

"May...you said she's gone?"

He got out of the bed he slept in and looked around the house. The humming sound of passing undead surrounded the house. Worry shook itself all down Al's body.

"Where could she go? She can't be gone! All the exits were sealed in cement! Unless...unless I forgot one... Oh no, did I forget one? I thought I got everything!"

He panicked now, running around the house trying to figure out how she escaped.

"Um, Alphonse-sama?"

Al looked at May, who was pointing downwards towards an open air vent.

"Is this it?" she asked.

Al growled.

"Why would she do this?"

He started to clap his hands together, when May stopped him.

"Don't do it," she said. "You'll just be wasting your energy. You're weak as it is, right now."

He paused, and bit his lip. He knew he was still weak, but Winry was out there. If his brother were to ever find him, and find out he'd lost Winry, he'd kill him.

But, she could be anywhere. And why would she leave if she didn't know what she was doing?

.

.

Before he did so to himself, he knocked her out.

He didn't do it to hurt her. He did it to free her from the pain that was about to ensue. He then laid on top of her, offering his body instead of hers.

Her heartbeat was slow, like someone who is deep asleep.

He grabbed his left shoulder and squeezed the pressure point on his shoulder. He felt weakness take over his body, but he didn't care. Better sleep than pain.

"Winry," he whispered. "I love you."

A tear rolled down his face. Why couldn't he have said he loved her long ago? Why?

All the people he'd met flashed before his eyes. Nina. Alicia. Gracia. Al. Winry. Hughes...

_Hey, Hughes. Looks like I'll be seeing you soon, huh? I'd at least hoped to have a wife and kids by then, though. Maybe even grandkids._

He looked to his right, and didn't see any undead, but the face of his friend Hughes.

"What are you talking about, Ed?" Hughes laughed. "You've got yourself a wife right there, under your arms."

Edward started bawling, for the first time in a long time. He felt ashamed.

_Damnit, Edward! Don't cry! Winry wouldn't like it if she saw you crying!_

He tried to think of other things, which is hard to do while you're dying.

He sighed, and held on to his girl.

"If this is it," he whispered to her. "And you don't get hurt at all, I want you to move on. Okay? Find another man. Don't stay single - you're too beautiful for that."

He stroked her face as the Zombies approached even closer.

Blackness.

.

.

"Emperor Ling!"

He turned around.

"I found them! He's laying down! Hurry!"

She leapt down from the roof before Ling even gave word on it.

"Lan Fan! Wait!"

He leapt down too, landing on the head of one of the walking dead.

Quickly drawing his sword, he stabbed it in the skull of the one he was on, and sliced in a circle around himself, decapitating everyone around him. This drew some of the attention away from Edward.

"Lan Fan!" he yelled. "Get him to a safer spot! Then meet me back here!"

Lan Fan nodded, then lifted Edward. She jumped.

"Emperor! There's a girl under him! It's...it's Winry!"

"Winry?" he exclaimed. "What's she doing-"

He thought about it.

"Take her first!"

"Wha- but what about Edward?"

"He was probably trying to save her if he was on top of her! Take her first!"

She nodded and carried Winry to the closest rooftop. She then did the same for Ed, and joined in the fighting with Ling.

She drew her daggers, and ran at the two nearest undead. She leapt into the air, spun around, and threw daggers into their heads. Another approached. She landed on him, pulled out a dagger, and stabbed him three times. Behind Ling, there was another he didn't notice. She threw a dagger at him as well.

"Lan Fan! Look out!"

She turned around and was suddenly latched onto by a Zombie.

"AHH!" she screamed. "Let go of me! Let go! Let go!"

She stabbed him repeatedly, but he just wouldn't let go. She looked at the closest Zombie other than him, lifted the one that was clung onto her up, and threw him at the other, knocking him down. She was panting heavily, and was beginning to black out.

"Lan Fan!" Ling screamed. "Lan Fan!"

He dropped the fight and picked her up. He leapt up to the roof with her in his arm, and sat her down, slightly far from Ed and Winry.

"Lan Fan! Speak to me!"

She smiled, weakly.

"I'm not dead yet, Emperor."

"Well, you'd better not die at all!" he yelled. "Come on, snap out of it!"

Her eyes shut.

"LAN FAN!"

**End-of-Chapter Notes: Damnit. Now I'm all caught up in this. I CAN'T STOP WRITING. AGH. **

**Toon in next time to see how this cliffhanger ends. :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Speech and Actions

**A/N: I'm writing this story during English class, because I can't stop writing it. I'm in love with writing! This is sad. I don't even want to see my boyfriend anymore, I've been so wrapped up in this. Is it worth it? Yes. Yes it is.**

_**Reviews Appreciated**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist**

His eyes opened.

A dense fog was settled over the area, and yet the sun was still bright. It was eerie, almost death-like.

_Am I...dead?_

He rolled over to see that someone was watching him. It was Winry.

"Winry..."

She smiled.

"We're okay," she explained. "Ling saved us."

"Ling? Ling Yao?"

He was confused, but happy nonetheless. He threw an arm around her.

"So, this makes you my fiance?"

"What?"

"We're alive. Soon to be married."

She thought this over.

"About that. Who's going wed us?"

He grinned.

"Who says we need to have a wedding? It's the end of the world, after all. We could walk around naked if we wanted."

She laughed. It was strange, seeing Edward act this way.

"Where are those Xingese people at anyways? I need to thank them for rescuing us..."

"Well, I'm right here."

Ed jumped and looked up. Ling was standing there. He wondered how long he'd been watching.

"L-Ling!" he yelled, throwing his arm off of Winry.

Ling grinned.

"Yo."

Edward shook his head.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"A few hours now."

"Just watching?"

"Yes."

Winry blushed. Ed was very defensive right now.

"So where's Lan Fan?" Winry asked. Ling turned over to her.

"I was waiting for you to wake up. I know you're not a doctor, but could you take a look at her?"

"Yeah. Why? What happened?"

He closed his eyes.

"She was bitten. I layed her on the other side of the roof, and tied her down with some rope in case she was...well, you know."

Winry glared at him.

"So you just leave your girlfriend? Some man you are."

She stood up.

"I'll be right back, she said to Edward, and walked off.

"Don't get bitten."

.

.

"Sure is good, huh?"

Lan Fan looked at her, with a slight confusion settling over her face.

"Sure is good they got your automail arm. Otherwise, you'd be one of them now."

Winry was fixing her up - her automail was banged up. She didn't have a kit, so she did what she could without it.

"I could have been bitten. I'm too clumsy."

Winry blinked.

"You're anything but clumsy. Now then, let's take this armor off. Don't want you passing out again."

Lan Fan looked reluctant, but slid off her armor anyways. The black clothes under her armor looked tighter than the armor did.

"Loose clothing restricts movement," she clarified. Winry groaned.

"Well, I can't very well just strip you on the roof, no matter how thick the fog is. Are you wearing anything under these tight clothes?"

She nodded.

"Binding, on my chest. And underwear. That's all."

Winry thought for a little bit.

"Here's what we'll do," she said, removing her coat. It was chilly. "You can take it easy and wear my coat, at least until we find better fitting clothes, okay? So, get out of that shirt, and I'll work on your arm."

Lan Fan was unsure, but slid off her shirt. Her frame was different than Winry remembered. Everything looked swollen. Her stomach was slightly round, like she had eaten too much. She noticed Winry staring, and scooted nervously away.

"Lan Fan," Winry whispered. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your body?"

The Xingese woman blushed madly, like she was hiding a deep secret that was about to be found out.

"Are you...pregnant?"

If faces could explode from blushing, her face would have exploded.

"Please, not so loud! The Emperor doesn't know yet and -"

Her sentence was cut off by an overly happy face from her blonde friend. It was intimidating, startling, and unsettling.

"That's so cute!" she squealed. "And Ling's the father! I bet he'll be so...so..."

She couldn't find a happy enough word.

"I found out about two weeks ago. I was going to tell him, but then this whole "walking dead" incident happened. I didn't want him to be concerned for me."

Winry frowned.

"Well, if you keep this up," she said, holding up the armor. "Then you'll hurt the baby, and yourself. You need to tell him."

She did what she could to the automail. It didn't have to be removed, and most of the damage came from dents. She was honestly only able to fix some of the nerve wiring up. But it did make her move faster.

"All done!" Wnry shouted, and began to walk away.

"Winry?"

"Hm?"

"Can I please have the coat now?"

Winry blushed, and handed it over.

"Oh, sorry."

.

.

"Alphonse? What do you want to do?"

Al was sitting in a chair, feeling himself loose grip on his own sanity.

"She's been gone all night," he mumbled. "When Edward finds me..."

May looked at him, sadly.

"Alphonse..."

He turned to her.

"What if...what if your brother doesn't come?"

He growled at her. Alphonse wasn't known for anger, he was always calm. May jumped.

"He'll come," he said, cooling off. "My brother's tough. He won't die. He's also coming for me."

She nodded, and walked out of the room. He stood up and followed her.

"May, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to growl at you."

He grabbed her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. The thought of Winry being dead, and the thought of Edward not coming...it was a lot. I'm..."

"Sorry," she finished for him. She hugged him, catching him by surprise.

"Think we should go look for Winry?" he asked, feeling the need to quickly change the mood of the room.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do," she said, nodding. He smiled.

"Then let's go. I'll unseal an exit."

"Alphonse, are you sure you're strong enough?" she asked. "You've only been here today and yesterday."

"I've eaten enough. We'll be fine."

He reached for the gun in his belt loop, and found that it was gone. He smiled.

"What do you know..."

"What is it?"

"Winry took the gun I made for her. She might be alright after all. But then, she'd only have six bullets."

He created a gun for himself, and asked May if she wanted one. She put up her fists.

"I'm a martial artist - using a gun would be less effective."

He smiled, and put his hands against what once was a back door. Using alchemy, he blasted a hole in the door.

"Let's go, before the undead spot us."

.

.

Edward sat on the edge of the roof, with his legs dangling. Winry walked behind him.

"I need to ask you something," she said, sitting beside him.

"What is it?"

She put her hand on his.

"What goes through a man's brain when he finds out his girl is pregnant?"

Ed blushed, and looked forward.

"Depends on the situation. If a guy found out now, I suppose he'd make it his sole responsibility to protect her. Unless he were a bad guy."

She smiled.

"Do you think Ling is a bad guy?"

He looked at her.

"Is...something going on?"

"Lan Fan."

He took a while to understand, but then finally got it.

"She's pregnant? Wow.. go Ling."

He smirked. She shook her head.

"She's nervous about telling him."

"I understand, coming from her. She's supposed to protect him, she can't have him watching her at all times. I'd be nervous too."

Winry frowned.

"But hey," Edward continued. "I'm sure he'll be excited for her, and I'm sure she'll be fine. It's Lan Fan - she's tough."

They both looked down at the alley, still full of Zombies.

"Ed?"

"Hm?"

"Alphonse is here. I don't remember if I told you. But, I sort of left him. I got out of the house through an air vent. He's at Izumi's. He's probably worried sick. And he's waiting for you. Now, I guess he's waiting for me too. I'm afraid if we don't get a move on-"

Edward shook his head.

"Winry. I'm sure if you left last night, he's already left the house. He's probably out searching. We need to stay in safety. When the undead start to leave, we'll follow the direction they head in. That'll lead us to Alphonse."

Winry sighed.

"Hey."

She looked up. Edward pulled her in towards him, and kissed her. This time, the kiss lasted a long while. She ran her fingers through his hair. He then realized that his hair was probably a wreck. He'd unbraid it in a moment.

"Ed."

He backed up.

"Want me to do your hair?"

Her fingers must have gotten tangled in it. He blushed.

"If you want."

.

.

Lan Fan wasn't going to tell him yet. She only told him that she must have caught a completely different illness, and that she'd be well soon enough. This meant that she would have to tell him later, but she didn't mind. She wanted to tell him once they were somewhere safe.

"Hey, Lan Fan."

She turned to Ling.

"Yes, Emperor?"

"I really do want you to stop calling me Emperor."

She blushed.

"But you..."

"I'm not an Emperor anymore."

He grabbed her hands in his.

"I'm just Ling Yao. No royalty involved."

"Emper-"

He put a finger to her lips.

"L-Ling..." she whispered. It was weird - like talking to a person who had just gotten a name change.

"That's more like it."

She smiled.

"So. Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

He sighed.

"Yes. I also wanted to say that, well, I'm glad you're okay. I was worried about you."

"As long as you're around, I refuse to die. And I promise to make sure you're around as long as possible."

"Lan Fan..."

His eyes opened a little. He wanted to look at her, as he did all those years when they were together, in Xing. When he was Emperor. He wanted to marry her, but had not yet spoken with his father on it. His father had still been alive, but as he was in critical condition, he was harder to get in touch with.

He leaned in, close enough to feel her breath. He was warm, even in this cold weather.

"Hey! Ling! Lan Fan!"

Ling turned around. It was Edward.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked, annoyed.

"The undead! They're moving! We need to follow them!"

"What? Why?"

.

.

May and Al had searched the entire eastern section of Dublith. No sign of Winry. No sign of Edward. No sign of the undead.

"Alphonse," May whispered. "We need to get somewhere safe, before the Sun goes down."

He ignored her, and continued searching. She scrunched up her nose.

"What happened to your polite attitude you used to have?"

He turned around.

"You used to be my prince charming. My knight in shining armor."

He sighed.

"The truth is," he replied. "I need to find my brother. I won't be at ease until then. I'm worried for him. I'm worried for Winry."

"Doesn't mean you need to risk your safety."

"I suppose you're right...but where should we go? Into another building?"

"We could go back to...wait..."

The buzzing sound rang throughout the alley.

"Al. We need to escape. Can you dig?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to."

"Why not? You think Ed's going to sweep in and save you last minute?"

He smiled at her, and raised his gun to fight the oncoming horde.

"Yes. That's exactly what I think he'll do."

.

.

.

**End-of-Chapter Notes: By the way, this isn't anywhere near the end. I'd say everyone being reunited would be around the middle of the story, or even the one-third mark. I have no plans as to where this story will go. If I did have any idea, then I have a feeling the characters would act less real. Like they know what's going to happen as well. I dunno. I'm rambling. Good night, good morning, and good evening! **


	8. Chapter 8: Reunited

**A/N: I've never done a story like this before – one of those weird things where you write as you go, instead of having the entire thing plotted out. Hopefully I don't draw a blank or something.**

**Thanks for reading this far! I get excited whenever I read that I got a review, or story alert. I check my Yahoo daily just to see if I did – and I usually do. So, I love you guys. Sincerely.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.**

"Edward, are you sure this is okay? What if it's not them?"

"Even if it isn't them, and it's just some random group of survivors – we'll have saved them."

Ling looked at Ed with a combined look of frustration and curiosity. They had left the girls on the original roof, since Lan Fan was a little worn out. Ling would transmute a bridge from roof to roof, creating a sort of "fast-lane" between each building.

"You Elric brothers perplex me."

Ed didn't smile. He was too anxious.

The moon was peering at them menacingly. On the other side of the world, the sun was retreating. Tonight's sunset was especially beautiful, based on how the clouds settled around it. But they couldn't pay any attention to that now – it didn't matter.

"They're speeding up," Ed noted. "They must be getting close."

He hopped over an alley, and then froze, looking down below him.

Alphonse was with May. He was holding her, tight, with one hand caressing her weren't kissing, no, just looking at each other. His heart stopped.

"Al..." he whispered, landing on the roof. He was in shock. A happy sort of shock, that partially immobilized him. He moved closer to the edge of the roof, and tried to yell. He couldn't make a sound.

Ling stood on the other roof, and didn't speak. He wasn't sure whether to interrupt this moment or not. It seemed to be the setup for a kiss. However, a kiss in this scenario would be an "I'm about to die" kiss, and they weren't about to die. He waited to see what Ed would do.

"Al," he squeaked, and then cleared his throat. All his energy gathered in his heart. "ALPHONSE!"

Al looked up, at first believing he didn't hear that voice. He came to realize that he did, and widened his eyes. He let out a small gasp.

"B-brother!"

He clapped his hands together and created a ladder, extending to the roof. May climbed up first, then Al.

"Thank God you came, Edward," she groaned. "Your brother was about to let me die."

Ed looked at Al, curiously.

"No, I wasn't. I had faith he would come. If not, I'd have made a ladder a while ago."

That made absolutely no sense to her, so she shut up and watched the show.

Edward dropped his grin and felt himself tearing up.

"Alphonse," he said in a low, hushed tone.

"Ed..."

They both approached each other, and hugged.

"Is Winry with you?" Al asked, looking around. Ed smiled.

"She's back at the other rooftop with Lan Fan."

Al then noticed Ling standing there, and gave an awkward wave.

They parted, and both turned.

"Should we go back now?" asked Ed.

"Yeah," answered Ling, ready to leave the scene.

.

.

"So. Al. What was that little lovey-dovey thing I happened to see?" Edward asked.

Al blushed and looked at May. May grinned.

"Are you two a thing now? After a day alone, you're getting a little...friendly?"

Ling smiled.

"Don't act like you and Winry weren't all over each other," he said, causing Edward to laugh nervously for a good ten seconds or so.

Alphonse turned his head to Edward.

"Wait. You and Winry? I missed it?"

"Sorry, Al. It's not like you missed the wedding," Edward said. Then he remembered what he had said to Winry earlier - _"Who says we need to have a wedding? It's the end of the world, after all."_

They would have to have some sort of wedding.

The four walked onto the rooftop. Winry and Lan Fan both looked over, and stood. Ling took on an entirely different appearance.

"Yo," he said, cooly. Lan Fan blushed and looked at Winry. Winry nodded at her.

"Ling, there's something I _really_ need to tell you."

"Can it wait? After all, we did just get back."

She frowned and nodded. Ed looked at her, and then looked at Winry.

"Um," he said. "Perhaps she should say it now. There's no reason to wait for things anymore."

Winry blushed and smiled at him.

"Well," Ling replied, coughing. "Then go on ahead."

Lan Fan looked down, nervously.

"I'm..."

Winry put a hand on her back.

"I'm..."

Ling wouldn't let her finish. He headed over to her, and gave her a hug. The moon was directly over them.

"I know," he said. "I know you are. And now, our roles are reversed."

"What do you mean?"

"Lan Fan. I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you from now on. You can take it easy now."

She blushed, and closed her eyes, laying her head on his chest. Everyone was happy.

"Oh," Winry said in the silence. "Hi Alphonse, hello May."

Al looked like he was going to scold her, but then let out a yawn.

"We should all...go to bed. It's late."

"The sun only went down an hour ago!" said Edward, wanting to catch up with Al. Al shook his head.

"That means night from now on. I'll tell you all about my life since last time we spoke – tomorrow."

He headed off to find his own spot on the roof. May followed, but didn't get very far without Ed putting his hand on her shoulder and stopping her.

"Where are _you _going?" he asked, grinning meanly.

"Give it a rest," she said, stubbornly. "I'm 18. I can sleep next to a guy I like."

Edward tensed up. That statement gave him shivers. May giggled, and continued following Al.

"That little girl is a pervert," he said, looking at Winry. Winry was smiling at him, and probably had been for a while. He was startled. "W-what?"

"We should start a fire – it's going to be cold."

"On the roof?" Ed asked. "Not such a good idea. I'll ask Ling to make some blankets. Damn, times like this where alchemy really would come in handy. Too bad, huh?"

He quickly returned with two blankets. He layed down beside Winry, handing her a blanket. She thanked him, and then turned her gaze upon the stars.

"It was so cloudy earlier - I'm surprised the stars are out," she said, watching them. She seemed to be waiting for one to shoot across the sky, so she could wish herself out of this damn place, or at least wish the undead away.

Ed looked up with her, mentally searching for all the constellations.

"Ed...?"

He turned to face her.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think...this will ever end?"

Other than the quiet humming noise of the far away Zombies, it grew silent. Edward thought his answer over, carefully.

"All bad things end. We're going to make it through this, though."

"Why's that?"

He watched her turn over to look at him. He grinned, and threw himself over her - a human blanket - and kissed her. His lips pressed to hers, arms around her. She was blushing - he didn't have to see to know that. Her face was warm, and her heart beat was racing.

"Because," he said, moving his attention towards her neck. "We're good."

.

.

_The testing had begun exactly one month ago. _

_People wanted to be able to bring others back to life - everyone did. No death - the world would be better, in most regards. _

_In Eastern City, the state alchemists and doctors were given a test to try and find a way to bring the dead to life. What they got, to be honest, wasn't really so far off. The body would function on its own. However, there were no emotions, no mind. It wouldn't obey spoken orders, or even speak itself._

_They kept the subject locked up in a free prison cell, and occasionally sent in a few people in full-body armor to test on it. _

_However, the subject - having no mind - would not eat. Several of the tests ended up just dying again. The doctors would not give up, and continued to research this valuable, classified topic. More and more people were brought to this half-life stage. They tried bribing them to eat with several different foods, __and different amounts of blood. Nothing even began to catch their attention._

_Finally, someone decided to send electrical impulses to the half-life brain with a machine. _

_At first, this was thought to have killed the creation. Then, last minute, the monster sprung back to life. The half-life had no heartbeat now. Yet somehow, it still managed to move around. It seemed to be thinking - more like an animal than a human. More on instinct than on actual thought._

_Then, when they sent in another group to perform testing on the new form of half-life - they lost contact. The entire prison was under some sort of attack. The prison went into total lockdown for three days._

_No one contacted the outside._

_Inside the building were a few soldiers, guards, and prisoners._

_When a young gunnery sergeant opened one of the doors of the prison, he had good intentions. He wanted to save those who were lost in the locked up building. Getting permission to do this was next to impossible - no one was allowed in. He decided to sneak it - he valued others over his job. However, he was attacked the minute he opened the door. No one was around to see him be eaten alive, torn into pieces. No one was around to kill his attackers and shut them back up in the jail._

_It was a slow, painful death. He had always been known for having a strong will - he wasn't willing to die easily. However, this didn't always come in handy. His flesh, torn straight from his own bones, was eaten in front of him. His organs pulled out. He had to watch it all take place. He couldn't look away, Hell, he couldn't even move._

_Eventually, the half-life and his ensemble of walking dead marched through the rest of the city, taking lives. A safe spot was made by a few, who made contact with Central, just before they were attacked by a horde. Their safe spot was destroyed, and so were all communications from that side of Amestris._

**End-Of-Chapter Notes: I plan on making it more gory soon. For those of you who don't like gore - well, it is a Zombie story. Sorry. :(  
><strong>

**Actually, it will probably continue to mature - on a couple of levels. So, prepare for a dive into the gutter, if you know what I mean. **

**Don't worry, it won't be /that/ bad.**


	9. Chapter 9: Plans for the Future

**A/N: I'm sooo sorry for the delays, everyone! I've been writing my stories by hand for the past few days because my computer randomly fried so I had to get it fixed. But, I'm back now. And ready to start posting! Thanks for reading! Also, I previously stated that this chapter would be actiony.  
>Well, I lied.<br>It's going to set up for upcoming action though, so, DEAL WITH IT. I love you.**

_Reviews Appreciated_

_._

_._

They snuck through Dublith, searching heavily for a weapon store. The town was eerily silent - not even a moan from one of those undead bastards. They would have figured the town was virtually ghoul-free, if not for the terrible stench that came when wind blew from the west. Becasue of that, they remained on the eastern side of the town.

The gun shops they had been through were mostly picked over, leaving only semi-automatics and bullets. Nonetheless, the two grabbed these, and anything else they could find. They also ran through marketplaces, taking foos that were either nonperishable, or simply had a while to expire.

"Hawkeye."

She stopped, and turned to her partner.

"Yes, sir?"

"I think we should grab a notebook."

They continued walking.

"Why is that?"

"To take notes on the behaviors of the Zombies. We could study them, maybe find new weaknesses, or battle techniques. Who knows, we could even stumble on a cure."

Hawkeye nodded.

"When we pass through a store that has those, and a pen, I'll grab some."

They headed forward until they found one last gun store. Upon entering, they found several weapons still in stock. Riza took two shotguns, and fixed them up to work correctly. She put one on her back, with the strap around her, and gave the other to Mustang.

"For rainy days."

Mustang looked at it unfamiliarly, and took it.

"I believe we're ready," he stated, making a face at the weapon.

"So then, what comes next?"

He looked to the west. Riza's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat.

"We're going to exterminate the undead, and establish a safezone throughout this town."

.

.

"We're going to the desert."

He was in the bath at Izumi's one-house, which they had returned to yesterday. Winry was in the same room, wrapped up in a towel. She had just crawled out of her bath with him. She was now brushing her hair with a comb Alphonse had created for her.

"The desert? Why the desert? I thought we were going to Yock Island?"

"That was my original intention, yes. But I've been thinking about it and..."

Winry looked at him, then quickly blushed and looked back to her reflection. It was hard to scold him while he was naked. Rather than complain about how far away the desert was, and how they were _right by _Yock Island, she simply asked "And?"

"Well, I was thinking about decomposition. Animals and plants decompose faster in hot temperatures. In ice, they will freeze and remain virtually untouched."

Winry huffed, and carefully thought up her response.

"While that is logial, what about Yock Island? There aren't any Zombies there at all."

"We don't know that for sure. If there were, we'd be screwed."

"But how would they even get on that island?"

Ed mulled this over, while Winry was growing tired of the topic.

"Well, how long does it take for the disease to spread?"

Winry thought about her last automail patient. It took him two whole days for the reanimation. Then, she thought about when Al, May, and her had gone through Rush Valley. Paninya had mentioned to her that for most, it only took twenty-four hours.

"About a day, give or take, depending on who it is."

"It doesn't take a day to get there. So, what if someone were carrying the disease, and left for the island?"

He stood up, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"Edward..."

He was by the door, holding his hand on the doorknob.

"You've got that look on your face. Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back," he said with a warm smile on his face. "The lake's where I'm going. I'll be on the boat. I just want to check on something."

She had a feeling that she couldn't come with him.

"Alright," she sighed, looking down at her feet. "Just...take Al, in case you get attacked."

He smiled, and kissed her cheek. She blushed once again, and grabbed hold of his hair, pulling him back for his lips. She hoped this wouldn't be the last kiss.

"Okay," he said, slowly parting. "I'll be back by supper."

.

.

"So, we're _not _going to Yock island?" Al asked.

"Nope."

They were in the lake now, about halfway there.

"Wow, the water's really clear."

"That's why we're here, Al."

Al looked at Ed, curiously.

"Are we fishing?"

Edward shook his head.

"We'd have brought fishing poles if we were, dummy!"

"Then what are we doing?"

"Seeing if the undead can swim."

Al was a little startled from that reply.

"If they could, wouldn't this be danger-"

Ed shushed him, and pointed down. "Look..."

At the very bottom of the lake, which at this point was only twenty to thirty feet deep, were three or four walking dead. They didn't appear to notice the boat, and continued heading towards the south. That was the direction for Yock Island.

"So. It isn't safe. And if it is so far – well, it isn't going to be for very long."

.

.

They were gathered up in a military vehicle. Several days of tracking down Edward Elric, and they'd finally managed to get a clue.

The man in charge of the machine gun groaned.

"What if they've already left for the island? Finding them could be impossible."

"Stop being such a bitch, Havoc."

A dog barked. They looked over at Feury, who was holding Hawkeye's pup, Black Hayate.

"He does have a point..."

"You too, Feury?"

"No, seriously! That island is bound to be deserted. We might never find them!" Feury explained. Breda shook his head.

"What do you think, Falman?"

Falman was previously asleep, and refused to wake up to join an argument. Breda sighed.

"Well, if they can't be found, at least we'll be safe."

Dublith was in sight now.

"Wow. No doubt Mustang's been here. Look at this smoke!" Havoc pointed. The once grassland appeared to have been ravaged by fire. Burnt, fried-beyond-movement corpses lay halfhazardly around the area.

"Kinda scary, if you ask me," Feury whimpered, holding on the Black Hayate. Too bad no one had asked him.

"It must have rained recently," a suddenly awake Falman spoke. "Look – footprints. Sure enough, they're headed for Dublith."

"But there are only two sets. If you look closely, they appear to be military uniform boots. So, we're missing Ed?" Breda asked.

"Ah, well. Good thing is, Mustang's still alive – you can tell by the pattern. No stagger.

"So what about Elric? He can't be dead."

"Exactly. No need to worry about him."

They passed by a Zombie, feasting on a corpse. Havoc tossed his cigarette on the ground, and headted up the gun. Quickly he fired, shooting the ghoul down where it sat. Headshot.

.

.

"White this down: The moan of a Zombie is actually a hunting signal used to summon others – this is to have somone assist them with the kill."

"Yes, sir."

"The disease spreads through bites. If you are killed before reanimation, through being eaten or other reasons, you will not reanimate."

"Got it."

They came onto a road with undead scattered about. He aimed for the most infected area, snapped, and set fire.

"After we've cleaned Dublith, we'll barricade it off with Alchemy, and leave any survivors here. Then, we'll move on to other towns, slowly working out way up to Central City. Once there, we'll announce evacuation of the town, and wait for any survivors. After a week, we'll have to destroy it."

Hawkeye nodded and did not say a word. She was troubled.

"Is something wrong?" he asked the silence.

"It's a lot like the war in Ishval, isn't it? Except, they started it this time. But we're grouping them for slaughter, uch like the extermination camp. And it's hard, killing them. Children, Mustang – we have to kill children. Who knows if they actually have emotions, or even feelings..."

"It's nothing like Ishval."

The man said nothing else, but promptly placed a hand on her shoulder. They passed by another street, and set fire to more walkers.

Minutes passed.

Hours passed. They had gotten rid of most of the undead population on this part of town. It was now completely silent, other than the snaps of the fires, and their own footsteps.

"Do you think Elric went off to Yock Island?" asked Riza.

"No."

"Why not?"

He pused, and let out a smile.

"Because I see him."

"What?" she asked, looking around. "Where?"

In the distance, two figures approached. One was instantly recognizable as Edward, but the other was a little harder to figure out. Eventually, she put two and two together, and felt herself gasping for breath.

"Edward! Alphonse! So you're alive!" she exclaimed, then coughed.

"Hey!" Ed yelled, then quickly grew quiet. "Oh...er..."

Al looked at him, confused.

"I'm sorry I ditched you guys."

Mustang, were these the old days, would have scolded him. Instead, he asked him a question.

"Are you going to Yock Island?"

Edward shook his head. "No. It's doomed. The Zombies can walk underwater – they're headed towards it."

Mustang tapped Hawkeye's notebook, to ask her to write it down. She nodded.

"SO then, where are you headed?" he asked Ed.

"The desert between Amestris and Xing. They'll decompose faster out there. You?"

"We're going to cleanse the region, from here to Central."

Ed chuckled.

"Good luck with that."

"As with you. I hope your theory on decomposition is correct."

"We don't have much of a choice."

He felt a nudge.

"Brother," Al whispered. "We do have a choice. We could join Mustang and fight. It sounds crazy, but it might actually be good to stick with him. Plus, with Lan Fan being pregnant..."

"...Then th edesert would actually be a bad idea. You're right."

Ed turned his attention back to the two ex-soldiers, and lifted his chin. This was his final descision.

"Mustang. Hawkeye. Would you mind if we joined you?"

.

.

**End-of-Chapter Notes: It's a pretty short and flavorless chapter, I know. BUT I ALREADY HAVE THE NEXT ONE WRITTEN. I'll post it tomorrow, along with other stories. So, uh. Read it if you're still interested. :)**


	10. Chapter 10: The Dublith Extermination

**A/N: At first, I wrote this story to give myself closure with FMA. As it's gone along, I've found that it's actually renewed my interest in the series. And, now that I'm back into the series, in a strange way, it's fixed a lot of my actual problems. So, I give a big THANK YOU! To the readers, reviewers, and anyone else who has motivated me to keep the story going. I plan on making it about eight chapters longer.**

_**Reviews Appreciated**_

**.**

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"We'll split into teams of two. Winry – you'll stay at the established safety zones and tend to Lan Fan. Since, you know, you're the only one here who knows anything about that. Ling, you'll go with...well, you'll go with me. May, you're with Al. No funny business, I don't care if you're of a legal age. Mustang and Hawkeye are already paired up and searching the town for undead and supplies. Under their instructioning, you must return to the safety zones by eight at night. That's when all houses in the safety zones will be locked down."

Ed gave that speech as he searched their current residence for anything that could be used as a weapon. Guns would have been fine, if they didn't produce such loud noises. He found a few things that would work, were they actually fighting against humans. Knives, for instance, were virtually useless. So, he searched instead for basic survival equipment. As well, he had Al create a few chemical bombs. He then felt like he was ready, and grabbed the attention of Ling.

"Hey," he spoke softly, so as not to completely kill the silent peace of the house. "You ready?"

"Yeah. It's noon. We have exactly eight hours."

"Okay."

Edward headed for the door. Winry watched him leave once again, this time remaining silent.

"Bye, Winry," he spoke from across the room.

"Stay safe."

"Of course."

She blushed.

"Ed?"

"Yes?" He turned around and saw that, this time, she didn't look worried for him at all.

"I love you."

He paused, and smiled.

"I love you, too..."

.

.

The roads of Dublith were nearly empty, with the exception of hundreds of burnt corpses. Ed was on the roof, acting as a sort of "lookout". Ling, being more adept to fighting as it was, took to the streets below him.

"Up ahead – there's a small group. They don't see you yet."

Ling nodded and ran up ahead, not bothering to be stealthy. He had lightning speed, and appeared only as a blur. He unsheathed his blade. Now, they noticed him, and gave out their low, signalling moans. Of course – those were short-lived.

He leapt into the air, firmly planting his foot into the chest of a foe. Kicking him into instability, he flipped over, planting his blade into its head from above.

From behind, a hand grabbed him. He turned swiftly, yet gracefully, and tugged on the handle of his sword, ripping it from the head of the previous encounter, and stabbing it through the eyes of the new one.

The moans, as was stated in Riza's writings in the journal, were a signal for other undead. More appeared on that road.

"Ling – don't worry about the ones far off. I'll handle them!"

Edward ran towards the edge of the roof, and ripped the top off of his bomb. He immediately tossed it, because it grew hot enough to burn him. It threw itself towards them, and exploded, setting them all on fire, and even destroying some of them completely. Ed caught his breath. Whatever was in that bomb, he'd have to figure out.

Ling continued in his battle. He didn't have a chance to rip the blade out this time – he had to attack now, or else be attacked. He turned to his left, and leapt upwards, above the ghoul, and came down with his feet on both sides of his head. He landed in a handstand, and flipped over. The Zombie, being held onto between his legs, was flung upside down, and into another. They were both knocked over. Ling took this chance to retrieve his blade and implant it into his enemies. He leapt back up to the rooftop.

"Hey," Edward said, looking at the now empty street. "Make sure you clean the blade. Who knows? The disease could spread through blood."

Ling nodded, and wiped the blade against the banner on the side of the building.

"I'll clean it in water when we return. As for now, I think this street is finished."

"Yeah. Me too."

Edward thought for a moment.

"Hey, we need to ensure that they aren't getting in from the border. Follow me."

He ran to the edge of town. There were plenty of undead approaching along the horizon. So, he began his work – setting traps, pouring oil between the buildings, lining them with wire.

"What are you creating?"

"Tripwires. They'll walk into them, and..."

Edward sat a gun along the wire, in the window of an abandoned bakery.

"This will shoot the oil. Thus, causing fire. It would last a while, so long as there were no rain."

"What if there is rain?"

"Then no problem. I'll also set up a voltage wire. No plastic surrounding. Once it's hooked up, it would reach sky high temperatures. No way they could walk through that."

He began to do so, asking Ling to transmute a few things for him now and then.

"Not bad, Elric. Not bad at all."

Mustang approached from behind.

"I'll draw a few more borders for you. Just to show where we'll be sealing off everything."

"Just a question, but why don't you just do that now?"

"Because, then we'd be trapping ourselves."

Ed scrunched up his nose.

"What?"

"Nevermind. Just, don't ask. Continue as you were."

Edward rolled his eyes, and nudged Ling.

"Hey. Let's continue as we were."

"Right."

.

.

Night time arrived quicker than ever, but it was especially hard on the four men on the outskirts.

They had reached the city by now, but they had yet to find a safe way in. Behind them, about an hour away, was a horde compairable to one street in Central.

"Come on, guys, think! How the hell do we get up there?" Breda shouted, looking around frantically.

"Calm down!" Feury yelled back. "You're scaring everyone!"

"Well there's no turning back! And the whole city's surrounded! Damnit!"

He clenched his fists.

"Why can't we just climb one of these buildings?" Falman questioned.

"Do I look like I have any rope?"

Havoc, being the only cool-headed one in the area, for the time being, had an idea. He took off his overshirt and hit it against the building a few times, trying to loosen its stiffness. He also took off his shirt, leaving only a dog tag on his chest. After making the overshirt loose enough, he tied it to the shirt.

"This will be our rope," he said. "Everyone, take off your shirts."

Falman immediately caught on, and did the same. He tied on his end. Feury looked reluctant, but also removed his clothes, tying them along with the other clothes.

The rope wasn't long enough, by only a few inches.

"Come on, Breda. You too."

"No way, man."

"Just take off your shirt."

"NO!"

The Zombies approached ever closer.

"Come on, Breda! Please!"

He groaned and took his shirt off as well, tying it onto the end. Havoc threw the manmade rope to the top of the building, and it caught onto something. Giving it a hard tug, he was sure it would hold the weight. Just in case, he decided to climb first.

"Guys, it's safe!" he yelled from the roof. He tied the rope around himself. "Feury, you go next, since you weigh the least."

Feury shuddered, and climbed it, holding Black Hayate as tight as he could. A couple of times, he almost lost that dog. But, he prevailed, and made it up as well.

"Falman next!"

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Breda groaned. The Zombies were around twenty minutes off by now.

"Just hurry up so that we can get Breda!"

Falman nodded, and worked his way up as well. Then, at the top of the rope, they held onto it tightly. This was going to be like tug of war, he thought.

Sure enough, a frightened Breda began to climb it. They had to pull, too, to help him make his way up the building. Panting and exhausted, he laid there for a good twenty minutes.

"We need to keep moving," Feury insisted. "I mean, if that border thing doesn't work, then we should try to make our way to safety. This rooftop is too easy to get onto from down there – there's a ladder that way, and stairs over there. So, this is an apartment or something."

"Then we need to get across the street. But where do you think is safe here?" Falman asked.

Feury squinted, and pointed into the distance, at the island.

"Not quite on the island, but near it – there are lights on. It's six right now, so...we should run. We have just enough daylight to make it there."

"Run?" Breda panted. "You've gotta be kidding me."

They weren't kidding him, and began to climb their way down the building. There were no undead nearby, but they remained on their guard.

"Come on," Feury motioned. "This way."

"Since when did you become a leader figure?" Havoc laughed, following him anyway. Feury smiled, and sat Black Hayate down on his leash. He would bark if they got near anything bad.

They ran to the safety zone. Occasionally, they would pass an undead, and shoot at it. They knew it attracted their attention, but they had no other options.

Of course, it was attracting a lot of attention...

.

.

"What was that?"

Winry was in the kitchen, cleaning off a few dishes. Lan Fan looked around warily. Winry looked at her.

"Don't worry, Ed and Ling are here. You and I are going to be fine."

"Even if they weren't here, we'd be fine. I can still fight, you know."

"But you shouldn't."

They stood together, nervous. The windows were all boarded up in the house, so they were safe enough at the moment.

Edward stood up from his spot in the living room and walked to the front door. He opened it, just to see what was going on.

"Gunshots..." he said. "I wonder if it's Riza and Roy..."

"Can't be," Ling clarified. "That's more than two guns. More like four. And there's a dog."

Ed ran outside, shutting the door behind him. Of course, he also brought a gun. He ran to the ladder on the building across the street and looked at the grounds. Sure enough, he saw the four men. They swiftly came closer. However, they were about to be running into a horde, coming from the buildings beside them. How there were even that many left in the city, he didn't know.

"Ling! Come out here! I need you!"

Ling ran outside, and saw the horde. They didn't appear to notice him in the slightest.

"That horde needs to be cleared. I'm out of bombs, and Al is nowhere to be found. It's seven!"

"Where is everyone?" Ling shouted, running at the horde with his blade.

"NO! STAND BACK!"

He turned and saw Al and May approaching, May holding groceries. Alphonse clapped his hands together, and created a sword for his own use as well.

"Okay! Ready?"

"Yeah!"

They ran into the horde, exterminating as many undead as they possibly could. There were a lot of them, and they still didn't seem to care about Ling or Al.

"Guys!" Edward yelled to the soldiers. "Climb this rope!"

He tossed a rope down from his survival kit and tied it to the nearby generator.

"You're kidding!" Breda complained, being the first to it this time. This, of course, was poorly thought out.

"Hurry up!" Havoc shouted, shooting. His gun clicked, and he was out of ammo.

"You can go next," Falman ordered. "We have ammunition, we'll take it from here."

Havoc nodded, and climbed up after Breda. After him, Falman.

Only a few of them remained. Feury's shotgun ran out of ammo, so he swapped over to his pistol.

"Hurry up, Alphonse! Ling!" Ed shouted, unable to help from his position. "They're getting closer!"

Black Hayate broke free from his leash and ran through the horde to the safe house. Feury gasped, reaching for him, and tripped. His glasses fell off of his face and shattered. He was now blind.

"Shit!" he yelled, though he rarely cursed. He was frightened beyond anything he'd ever been through.

"ALPHONSE! LING!"

Alphonse cut through the neck of one close to Feury, causing blood to go everywhere.

And that's just it. The blood went everywhere. And, well...

Feury's exposed eyes caught a good amount of it.

.

.

"Lay him on the couch!"

"Is this really safe?"

"You're damn right it's safe! We don't know for sure if it's infective at all..."

Edward sat down and looked at him, giving him the best check-up he could provide.

"Can you tell anything?"

"Shut it," Ed said to the three men, and leaned close to Feury. "Does it hurt?"

Feury tried to shake his head, but began to sob.

"Yes. It hurts like hell. I can't even see anything, and that's compaired to my normal eyesight."

"Other than the eye – what do you feel?"

He paused, stifling his noise to think.

"I have a headache...and...I'm dizzy. That's all, otherwise."

"A headache, you said?"

Edward flipped through the notebook, and saw that it was a symptom of pre-reanimation. Pre-death, to be precise. He felt Feury's forehead, and noticed that it was a horrible fever.

Feury saw the worry in Edward's eyes, and cried out.

"Am I going to...am I going to die?"

Edward sighed, and held onto his hand.

"If you're infected..."

His frightened expression grew dim with shock.

"N-no..."

"I need you to make a descision..."

"Please, Ed-"

"Would you rather us kill you before you die, or wait till you're undead?"

Feury cried harder, and tried to speak. His words were muffled.

"Edward!" Falman yelled. "Don't...just...just go. We'll handle it all from here."

From the cracks in Falman's voice, Ed could tell he was near tears as well. He left the room to find Alphonse. Sure enough, Alphonse was by himself, laying on the bed he chose.

"Al."

Alphonse turned over, and saw Edward there. His eyes were red, and bloodshot from the heavy crying he himself had done.

"Brother...I-I didn't mean to...I didn't want to hurt him! I was only trying to save him! If I had done anything less reckless I...he'd still be okay..."

Edward sat on the bed, and hugged his brother tight. He began to cry again.

"I've never been in a house with so many crying men," Edward said, softly. "It's certainly more hurtful than any woman crying. Because it's more rare."

Al sniffled, and you could tell he wasn't trying to cry.

"I'm sorry, brother, I... what if they hate me for it? What if Feury hates me?"

"It wasn't entirely your fault. You tried, Al. The Zombie would have bitten him if he was that close anyways."

Al was silent for a moment, then clenched tighter onto his brother.

"B-brother? Am I going to go to Hell?"

Ed jumped, surprised that Al had asked such a question. He was perplexed.

"Al...if God is good, then he saw your true intentions."

He scratched his brother's head.

"I'm sure you're fine."

Alphonse coughed, and nodded.

"Now, go to sleep."

Al did as he was told, and rolled over.

.

.

The hours passed. Hawkeye and Mustang arrived exactly at eight, and heard the news. Mustang didn't cry, although Hawkeye did – and even then, she didn't sob.

However, even though Mustang didn't cry, didn't mean he wasn't broken.

He knelt beside Feury.

"Feury..."

Feury moved his head to look at him, although he really saw nothing.

"M-Mustang...you're alive..."

Mustang nodded. "Yeah..."

Feury rolled to his side.

"I...I'm sorry, Mustang. I wanted to lead...just once. Turns out I'm a pretty bad leader, huh."

Mustang shook his head.

"No. You're not."

"But-"

"But nothing. You were the one that stayed behind. You took the hit. And you're the one that brought the men here, too."

"H-how did you know?"

He smiled.

"No one else had good enough eyesight to spot us from the outskirts."

Feury managed a small laugh, and then was interrupted by harsh coughing fits.

"If it's okay, sir...I don't want to die like this. It gets more painful with each passing minute..."

"Would you rather die sooner?"

Feury nodded.

"I don't want to go through that."

Mustang looked at the other men.

"I told them that – they wanted to wait and see what you said."

Mustang picked Feury up as best as he could.

"Then I'll be the one to grant your dying wish, Feury. Anything else?"

Feury nodded.

"I don't want to die in vain. Do your best, Mustang, with whatever you do. And you'd better not die."

Mustang smiled and took him outside, unlocking only the front door. It was empty outdoors, not a ghoul in sight.

"Ah, yes," Feury said, as Mustang sat him down. "That silence...it's beautiful."

Mustang put a hand on his shoulder.

"Am I about to die?"

"Yeah. If that's really what you want?"

Feury paused, then nodded his head slowly.

"I'd want nothing more, sir."

He saluted, then braced himself for the impact.

Mustang raised his gun, and fired. Feury's hands, previously covering his ears, fell limply to his sides. Roy sighed, and sat the gun down by his corpse.

"If you are killed before reanimation," he sighed, voice cracking only a little. "Through being eaten, or...other reasons...you will not reanimate..."

He saluted Feury's body, and carried it away. Then, he set fire to it, to make sure the body didn't attract anything. And, though no one saw it, he cried, too.

**End-of-Chapter Notes: WHY AM I SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON? D:**

**I'm literally ashamed of myself right now. Turns out, I'm better at writing sad stuff when I listen to country music. I should do that more often. **

**BUT SERIOUSLY. I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON. **


	11. Chapter 11: Secret Things

**A/N: I hate science class. So much. Biology, I'm pro at. Chemistry, I love it. But Physics, where everything is either a theory or an equation to something, pisses me off. And, though I love Biology like it were my own child, having Biomedical Science RIGHT BEFORE Physics could kill someone. I should sue.**

_**Reviews Appreciated.**_

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"The town is completely blocked off by walls. Unfortunately, there were no survivors. Even when we left to check Yock Island – no one."

Ed looked forward to let out a sigh.

"That sucks. But, this town wouldn't be safe anyways. The lake is full of those bastards."

Mustang nodded.

"We'll head north now – all the way to Drachma. That's supposedly the safest place around. On the way, we'll take down Central."

The town was amazingly peaceful. Nearly all of the buildings were gone, after being burned down. Even the putrid scent that onced lingered in the air was gone. No dead bodies. No blood. The town was a field, empty and all. The only thing that stuck out now was the cemetary. No names were on the stones, other than one that read "Cain Feury: A Leader". Some were marked with how the person died – Zombiism, suicide, bullet wound. An astounding amount were untouched, though.

Grass grew wildly through the town, housing small animals and insects. Rather than silence, the air sang of crickets chirping, and the barking of the only dog in town.

"So, where will we go now?"

Mustang arose, leaving a print in the grass he had laid in. It was hard to believe only a month had passed. It was both a long time, and a short time. "Rush Valley. Let's hope they're still alive."

.

.

There was a door on the border wall, and it was locked on the inside wall. A radio stood on the door, which would be used as a city-wide doorbell. It was a pointless invention, but a good test for the future towns.

"You ready?" Ed asked the group. Everyone was.

Havoc, who was on lookout on the top of a building, gave the thumbs up that the side of the wall opposing the town was clear. Mustang unlocked each lock on the door, and pushed it open. It was certainly heavy.

"We're going to create a sort of hallway system from town to town. Each hall must be as tall as the walls of the cities."

Ling and Al, being the only two capable of that form of alchemy, clapped their hands together and planted them on the ground, creating two walls that lead for about two miles north. It grew darker, like the alleys between buildings do in a city. May grabbed Al's hand. Al squeezed onto it, reassuringly.

"You scared?" he asked, grinning. She shook her head, with a hint of anger.

"Who do you think you're talking to? Of course not! I could handle a whole horde if need be."

She let go of his hand and walked ahead of them all. Al smiled to himself, sighing.

"If need be..."

Much of the walk passed in silence. Surprisingly, no undead seemed to be attracted by the sudden growth of concrete walls, and the hallway stayed empty. Whenever a mile would go by, they'd grow the walls out another mile. This went by for about a day, till they had Rush Valley in view.

"How do you want us to sleep?" Al asked, unsure if they wanted to seal off the exit or entrance to the hallway. Mustang looked straight ahead. Alphonse was about to ask again, unsure if he had even heard the question or not. Of course, that's when he finally responded.

"We'll take turns staying up. No sealing up the entrance."

"W-wait, what? Why not?"

"Because I said not to."

"But what sense does that make?" Edward chimed in.

"If we seal off this entrance, and then remove the block again in the morning, then what if a horde is attracted overnight? The minute the wall is destroyed, we're done for. This way, if a horde comes overnight, we'll have the ability to get everyone up and fighting from the only entry."

Alphonse mulled over the many problems with the theory, but didn't say anything. He was fairly tired, so he didn't mind taking first shift if it meant he got to sleep the longest.

"Can I have first shift?" Al asked him. Mustang nodded.

"Yes. Everyone else, get ready to go to sleep. Rest well, you'll need it."

Alphonse walked towards the end of the tunnel. May followed.

"If you don't mind, Alphonse-sama," she whispered, reffering to him by her old name for him. "I'll stay up, too."

"Of course I don't mind. In fact," he paused, to face her and purposely cause her to blush. "I could use the company."

He loved watching her get flustered. It was adorable, the same way it is watching a woman get angry to at her husband over something silly.

She stood across from him, leaning on the opposite wall. She looked up at him, wanting to spark a conversation, but nothing seemed like a good topic at the moment. He smiled at her, noticing her eyes looking up. She blushed once more and looked away. He laughed.

"May?"

"Y-yes?"

"What do you want to do? I mean, when all of this is over?"

She looked off into what little was visible outside of the dark hallway.

"I want to help with all of the destruction around the cities."

Alphonse nodded, and looked at his feet.

"It's funny...I just got finished doing that, it seems like. I wonder what disaster will happen next time I help a town?" he laughed, although it wasn't that funny to him. May looked sad.

"I don't think things can really get much worse than they already have. If that did happen every time you helped people, next time the world might just end altogether."

Al smiled, and looked back up at her. This time, their eyes met. And it was okay.

"Well, then would I be doing a bad thing, or a good thing?"

"You're fine, Al. I'm sure it's not you that's causing this."

He laughed again.

"Yeah, I know. When all of this is over, I will help out, as well. When we've reached Drachma, I want to put together a party and go cleanse Xing, too."

"That would take ages..."

"But it's your homeland."

Shao-Mei peered her way from behind May for the first time in a while. May picked her up.

"Yeah. Maybe I'll just wait until we've cured this nation. Then go back. But Alphonse-sama..."

"Yes?"

"When do you think...do you think we'll ever be able to just, settle down? I want to stop fighting one day. To rest. Start a family. Marry someone. You know?"

"...I get it. And I understand. I think, though, that we're being tested. As heroes. As long as there's a problem in the world, as heroes, we'll always be the ones to work to save it. But, we've always had the chance for a break. We just turn it down because...well, because that's the right thing to do."

May stroked her panda on the head, holding her close.

"And, you can always marry. Look at Ed and Winry – they're married. And Ling and Lan Fan – they're about to have a child. There's never a wrong time to show love."

"But I want a wedding... I want a romantic love story. Not an action themed one."

Al looked away.

"You probably should have thought about that a long time ago, Miss Martial Arts."

She wrinkled her nose, but understood what he said.

"Well, what do you want to do when it's over? Other than help out?"

Al felt himself beginning to blush.

"Hm...well, lots of things."

"Like?"

"Secret things."

.

.

With Rush Valley now in front of them, they fanned out, and created a doorway to the tunnel, so that no one could get in. Mustang decided to go ahead and erect walls around the city, so they were risen.

"I'm going to search the town for a few supplies – maps, and whatnot. I'll bring Hawkeye."

Ed nodded.

"We'll stick to our regular groups, I suppose."

Winry nudged him.

"Actually, Ed... Can I come with you this time? I think that Al and May should go together, and Ling needs to stay with Lan Fan. If me and her get attacked, she could be in danger. I'm not exactly much of a fighter."

Ed sighed, knowing her logic was better at the moment.

"Alright. Everyone, split up according to Winry. And you three – soldiers. I want you to go find survivors."

Alphonse traunsmuted them a few extra guns and bullets. They accepted them.

"Then what?"

"Find us. And keep them safe."

"Right."

They ran off.

"What do we do?" Al and Ling asked, simultaneously.

"Well, Al, I need you and May to clear the buildings. Destroy them, unless they are houses, or grocery stores. Ling and Lan Fan, you're going to scout for good safezones. Winry and I are on Kill Duty."

They all parted. Winry looked at him.

"What's Kill Duty?"

"Oh. You don't have to worry. I'll handle it."

With this, he grabbed the gun Alphonse transmuted for him – a sniper rifle – and searched for a building with an easy to reach roof.

.

.

"Survivors, my ass. There ain't no one."

Breda growled and kicked a building, angrily.

"Easy there, Breda," Havoc sighed. He'd kill for a pack of cigarrettes right about now.

"This isn't fair. And you know what else isn't right?"

"What?"

"How that Alphonse kid got away with killing off Feury."

Havoc and Falman both exchanged glances, and looked at him.

"He didn't kill him, Breda. The Zombie did," Falman clarified.

"But the Zombie wouldn't have, if it weren't for him."

"I'm sure he's sorry for it, Breda. But it wouldn't exactly do us any good to give him any retribution. He's not an evil kid. It's not like it was on purpose."

Breda shook his head.

"If one more incident with that guy happens, though-" he paused, lifting up his gun and imitating a shooting. "-I'll kill him myself. I don't care what happens after that."

Havoc looked at Falman, worried.

.

.

"Hey, May – there's a hotel. Think we should demolish it? It does have beds, after all."

"It isn't a house."

Al nodded.

"It's your turn. I'll watch your back."

May ran around the building, throwing down her knives. Then, with a loud boom, the building came down. The two ran from the explosion, narrowly avoiding the falling pieces of brick. Catching their breath, they smiled at each other. Something about near-death experiences was, well, sexy.

"Nice," Al complimented.

"Thank you."

They killed the attracted undead, and made way to a rooftop. Panting, Alphonse destroyed the stairs to the roof, and laid down.

"What a day."

"This is the first time we've sat down all day, come to think of it. We should have huge muscles soon."

Al laughed.

"Like Armstrong?"

May shuddered at the thought, then smiled.

"It's kind of like we're living in a rule-free world now, isn't it?"

Al nodded. "No laws. No one to boss us around. Heck, as long as we do our assigned jobs, we're fine."

"It's sad. But, at the same time, we're able to just completely destroy buildings with no consequences. So, it's fun at the same time."

"Yeah."

They waited for the dust to stop blowing through the air below. Al leaned towards May.

"What are you-"

He silenced her, and pecked her on the lips. Short and sweet. She blushed, as if he had done so much more, and looked forward again. Speechless.

"Um...uh...t-thanks?"

He laughed.

"You don't know how to do this kind of thing, do you? Strange – I thought that all girls practiced this."

She was not pleased with this comment and tugged on the collar of his shirt, pulling him in for another kiss. This one lasted longer than the previous one.

It soon became a game of who could start the longer kiss.

And nothing more than that. It was innocent enough.

.

.

**End-Of-Chapter Notes: So I'm sitting at my desk, writing, when this inchworm falls...out of my hair...**

**It was so freaking disgusting. I'm not exactly a filthy person (in fact, I'm quite finicky. I can't go a day without a bath or makeup or anything). **

**Seriously. An inchworm. I had to finish this chapter fast so that I could get away from my desk. I'm horrified.**


	12. Chapter 12: At The Center

**An. I'VE DECIDED TO END THIS STORY FAIRLY SOON.**

** I'll probably go back and add an alternate ending later. Hard to keep going on something like this, ya know? But I'll start up on my other FMA horror story soon. :)**

**I still love you. Don't worry.**

**Reviews appreciated!**

* * *

><p>The past few weeks had gone by in a pattern: Destroy, cleanse, build, survive, repeat.<p>

Only a few survivors had been found, but enough to keep a town going. In one city, they even found a survival camp of fifty.

And Central was only just ahead.

Mustang stood atop the giant hall that had been created. Hawkeye stood beside him.

"Sir," she said, looking at him. His eyes were pitch black and serious. "We're ready when you are. You know. To start the process."

Mustang took a moment to think before he spoke. "Riz-Hawkeye...How many people did we find in the first town? Rush Valley, I mean?"

"None, sir. Everyone was gone."

"Gone..."

.

.

_"Paninya! Wait! Come back! We have help, we can help you rescue them!"_

_Paninya turned around and looked at him, then shook her head._

_"No, Edward."_

_"What?"_

_She ripped off the cloak she was wearing. Her skin was soaked in crimson blood, which appeared black in this light. Wounds tore at her from everywhere. It was as if she had been attacked by a bear._

_"You need to watch over your girl...you need to watch over Winry. Protect her from this curse. We..."_

_"What happened?"_

_Ed was hysterical, slamming his fist on the ground like an infant. _

_"What the hell happened, Paninya? How did they get to you guys? I thought you were fighters! Your automail-"_

_"We aren't immortal, Edward! Look at me! I still have flesh arms! My legs may be made of steel, but is the rest of me? The camp..."_

_She paused, then fell to the ground and vomited. Ed dropped his gun and ran over to her. He put a hand on her back._

_"What happened at the camp?"_

_"Remember the...the little boy you helped deliver?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"He was...bitten. And infiltrated the camp without...without showing his wounds. He was afraid they would...shoot him while he was still alive..." she coughed up blood. "I got there last minute. There were...there were so many...and...they got to me, damn it..."_

_"They...bit you..."_

_"Well no shit!" she yelled, showing off her battle markings. "Look at me! I look like one of them, don't I? They bit me! And I'm going to die soon! I was trying...I was trying to get as far away as possible! But..."_

_Edward backed away from her, as if she could change at any moment._

_"Paninya...what about the others...I can still save them...just tell me where they are..."_

_"They're all dead."_

_It hit him like a boulder, crashing waves of both anger, fear, and confusion over him. He fell back to his knees, losing what strength he had previously built up._

_"All of them...and...I don't want to end up killing anyone with this body...so..."_

_She took her legs and wrapped them around the metal fence beside her, pulling them together so that the bar broke. She then tossed it to Ed._

_"I want you to kill me...the minute I come back..."_

_"K-kill you?"_

_"Well, kill my body...keep in mind...it isn't me..."_

_"No!"_

_She wretched her body about, and fell to her side, laying in a direction that faced him so that he could see the color evaporating from her face._

_"Mom...Dad...Dominic...I..."_

_"No! No Paninya!"_

_Her eyes shut and her mouth motioned the rest._

_"I'll see you soon, guys..."_

_"NO! PANINYA, DAMNIT! YOU'RE KIDDING! YOU...YOU HAVE TO BE!"_

_He watched her die, then almost immediately come back. She slowly sat up, and looked at him with all life gone from her pure white eyes._

_"Paninya, if you're joking, you'd better tell me right now!"_

_She slowly rose to her feet, and headed to him. He dragged himself up as well, tightening his grip on the bar she had tossed him._

_He gulped._

_"-"_

"Edward, wake up!"

His eyes shot open, and he looked into the face of Winry. She wasn't smiling.

"It was a dream, Ed...a dream..."

He rolled over, not looking at her.

"No...that wasn't a dream...that was real..."

She turned her head, as well.

"I'm sorry...about that..."

"It wasn't your fault, don't be..."

"Edward, Winry!"

Alphonse ran in. Both of them looked up at him.

"Please don't look at me like that, guys. You look dead."

"Sometimes, I wish I were," Ed said, groaning.

"Don't say that!" Winry scolded.

"Anyways...um...Mustang says we're about to move in on Central so...get up?"

Al smiled sheepishly and left.

"Ed, I washed your clothes last night...I couldn't sleep. I had to wash them in the bathtub, but it's better than it being coated in blood, right?"

"Thanks..."

He looked beside him to see the bedside table had folded clothes on it.

"Maybe we should get new clothes," he said, sick with having to re-wear the outfit.

"Not until later. Only the neccessities," she sighed, looking down at her own outfit, fairly clean compared to Ed's.

"Dumb ol' Mustang and his stupid rules. He gets razors, but I can't go out and get at least some new underwear?"

He got out of bed and put his clothes on, then proceeded outside.

"Trouble in paradise?" Ling mocked, guessing by the look on Ed's face.

"I'm not undead - I'd say I have it just fine," he said. He then looked at Lan Fan, whose stomach looked like it was just about ready to explode. He blushed and looked away before she noticed him.

"Men and women," Mustang stated, handing out maps that, apparently, he'd been carrying around. "These are maps of Central City. Learn them, because we're leaving soon. Before we go, here are the instructions: build the wall, destroy every building you come into contact with. We'll seal off the sewers, and get to them on another day - they're sure to be completely infested. If you should come across any survivors - though that is incredibly unlikely, given the size of the city - bring them back to the Hallway, let them in, and tell them to head on to the previous town. This city will not be habitable for some time. As well, if you see any carts, grab them and fill them with food that is non-perishable. We'll need enough to help feed the other towns until they can start farming. Once tonight is over, we're all going our seperate ways."

"Any questions?" Hawkeye asked. No one replied. Mustang's once-soldiers headed towards the door and unlocked it, then they all proceeded in.

At first, the city was empty.

Ling created the wall around it.

"Okay, guys," he said, putting the map away. "Let's fan out. Meet back here at twenty hours."

They all split up in the same pairs they had gone into the last time.

"Come on, May," Al said, giving Edward a nod for good-luck. May followed close.

"Winry," Ed said, facing her. "I'm sorry we haven't...you know...been close since Rush Valley. I love you."

"Let's do our best now. We can make up for the past few weeks later."

He blushed and took her hand. Al had transmuted a pistol for him, which was much more suitable than the other weapons he had been having to work with.

Almost right as the walk started, they began to come across undead.

"There sure are a lot..."

Edward took his gun out of the holder. Winry turned around and saw more coming from the opposite direction. They were surrounded.

"Edward - shoot over there!" she said, pointing to the north. He lifted his gun and shot - not all headshots, but enough to stop their movement. She pulled out a gun as well, and shot simultaneously with him. The two fended off from both directions, until an infamous clicking sound rang in their ears.

Empty.

"Shit, we have to run!" Edward said, re-grabbing hold of her hand. "Now - to that building!"

They entered it, and slammed the door. The building was infected itself, with the mutilated humans everywhere. They turned to the stairs and ran up them.

"Edward - there's one!" she yelled as they were rather quickly approached by a Zombie. He kicked it in the face, sending it flying down the staircase.

"Keep going!" she yelled. They ran to the top floor, until they reached the ceiling. Then, they took a breather.

"Maybe these aren't the best weapons after all," Edward sighed, tossing his gun down. He looked around for other weaponry, and found a radio tower on the roof with them. The same way Paninya had, he wrapped his automail leg around it, and yanked, tearing it apart. He handed one pole to Winry, and one to himself. They couldn't kill anything with this, but it was enough to bide time until they came across Alphonse again.

"How are we going to get down?" Winry asked.

Her question was answered with vibrations from below. The building suddenly came crashing down from under them. Winry screamed, and Ed grabbed hold of her hand.

"Winry, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, you idiot!"

"Then run this way!"

"But that's the direction we're falling!"

"Just do it!"

He got her steady enough and they soon began running left, feeling the ground falling beneath them. Then, right as the ceiling came down, they leapt, and landed in the building across from that one, smashing the glass in.

"Fuck," Edward said in response to his pain. He looked at Winry. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Now, let's keep going."

The building began to shake as well. Ed looked at Winry, as if to say "not again...".

"Come on. We have to do that again," he said, running in the direction the building fell this time. But suddenly, it changed direction, and send the two flying towards the window.

"EDWARD!" Winry screamed. He caught her hand last minute, while he held on to the gargoyle that was outside of the window. They were around fifty feet high.

"Winry - don't you dare let go!" he yelled, looking up. The undead that were in the room had focused on them now, and began to approach.

"Edward - they're going to get us!"

Ed widened his eyes and looked down.

"ALPHONSE!" he screamed, begging for Al to come around and see them. "ALPHONSE!"

A cracking noise sounded from above. He looked up and saw that the gargoyle's arm was breaking. He went into panic mode.

"Don't let go!" he yelled at Winry.

"I won't!"

He released his grip on the arm of the gargoyle. Time slowed down before them as they came down to the empty street. Winry didn't scream. She held on to him. In the air, he grabbed hold of her torso and gave her a tight hug.

"Winry! Wrap your legs around me!"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

She did, and the second she did they hit the ground, feet first. Ed's left leg shattered completely, being the leg he landed on. He fell forward.

"Damnit!" he yelled. "Winry, we have to go! Now!"

She supported his left side as they ran towards the hall. Opening the door, they ran inside and laid on the floor like a couple of dogs.

Then, Ed blacked out.

.

.

_"She really saved...could have killed himself, with a stunt like...no, we haven't seen..."_

_"...awake..."_

_"...Edwarrdd..."_

"_Wake up."_

He jumped up once again. Winry was covered in bruises, but smiling as she looked at him.

"Hey, Ed..."

"Winry...where is everyone?"

"They're right there..." she said. "Everyone but Alphonse and May."

"Al?"

He tried to stand but couldn't. His voice was weak.

"Where's Alphonse?" he asked everyone. "Where's my little brother?"

"He still hasn't come back..."

Edward looked down to see that Winry had already started attaching another leg onto him - apparently she'd left her spare kit in the hallway since she'd known something was going to happen.

"Maybe I shouldn't have woken you up yet," Winry said. "Brace yourself."

He cringed as the nerves attached with the automail.

"Fff...that never does feel any better, does it?"

"You don't scream anymore, so at least your pain tolerance has risen a bit."

"Alphonse is...he's out there..."

He stood up and went towards the door. Hawkeye put a hand on his shoulder.

"The sun is just now rising. It will be really dangerous if you go out now. Wait an hour or two."

"My little brother is out there. I'm not waiting. The rest of you can sit here as long as you like."

"You're forgetting you don't have a weapon."

He looked down.

"An hour..."

.

.

"Alphonse!"

He ran with Ling now, while Winry waited back with Lan Fan.

"Al?" Ling yelled, looking everywhere possible, and taking each chance to decapitate a Zombie. "Alphonse Elric? Yoo-hoo?"

"Al? Where are you?"

Ed turned every corner at least twice now, and still had no sign of Alphonse. However, he did catch sounds of approaching hordes. Which is why they had to keep moving. Then, he caught sight of him.

"Ling, I see him!" he yelled.

"What?"

"I see Alphonse!"

Ling turned and looked in the same direction as Ed. What was there, though, was definately not Alphonse.

Definately not.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>End-Of-Chapter Notes: Yayyy cliffhanger!<br>**

**So, um...the story will be over by next chapter, and I'll include an alternate ending because the one I have planned up is sure to piss you off. ^_^**


	13. Chapter 13: Ending One: The Dead

**An. **So, I was trying to decide on whether to post the good ending or the evil ending first. And because I know that my readers are PURE OF HEART I decided to post the mean, horrible, terrible ending first. That way you can read the good ending later.

And not kill me for what you're about to read.

Reviews Appreciated.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"So he started fighting Ling, right? And then, just before he's about to get himself killed - because really? A pole versus a sword, AT THE HANDS OF LING YAO - I step in stop them. They thought I was a Zombie, but more importantly, so did the undead themselves."

"So that's why you all started imitating them?"

"Yes. It helped us get into their underground nests, to place TNT."

Winry smiled at Al.

"You're smart, you know that? But at the same time, I have to wonder - why'd you just let Ling and Ed fight?"

"I was curious," he admitted, grinning mischievously.

Ed stepped into the tent.

"So, you two - dinner's ready. We're having a feast to celebrate - apparently, the whole town's been cleansed. The food in the stores is almost all bad now, but hell, a few months of no farming, we've done fairly well."

Al stood up, excited.

"A feast?" he yelled. "Are you serious?"

"Well, it's all canned, but-"

"Doesn't matter! No more rationed meals!"

Al ran outside.

"Wait, Al! Where are you going?" Ed asked.

"To tell May!" he yelled back. "She'll love this!"

Ed smiled and shut the flap on the tent, turning to Winry.

"Anything you want me to find in the market?"

"Hm...how about just some canned peaches? Those sound fantastic..."

"Canned peaches it is, then."

He began to leave, but a hand touched his shoulder. He spun back around and was greeted by the lips of his lover. He smiled.

"Winry-"

"Shush. You hear that? No moaning. Silence."

He listened to the empty air and sighed, relieved.

"We've lived through it all, haven't we?"

"I couldn't have without you, though."

He hugged her tight, resting his head on her shoulder.

And that was when Mustang decided to stroll in.

"Hey," he said. "Am I interrupting?"

Edward quickly removed himself from the hug and turned to face him.

"Of course you are - I closed the tent for a reason."

"Bah, do it when we're asleep. We have to go to the market, remember?"

For the first time in all of this, Mustang smiled. Edward blushed, frowning.

"Hey, don't-ugh. Fine. I'll see you later, Winry."

He smiled and left the tent with Mustang. Riza came with them, out of habit.

"Canned peaches," Ed said to him. "She wants those."

"That sounds great," Hawkeye replied.

.

.

They all sat down at the table they'd found earlier in the month. Ling pulled the chair out for Lan Fan - now in her third trimester - and sat beside her. She was certainly getting big.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Edward presented in a host-like manner. "Your meal!"

All the foods were brought out on plates that had obviously, by the design, been transmuted by Alphonse. Peaches, beans, potatoes, beef, rice...all canned or boxed, but amazing. Maybe it was the atmosphere that made the food all taste so good.

"Look, Lan Fan - rice. Like you asked."

Lan Fan smiled, and started to eat. Ling watched her, pleased.

Edward took his place between his wife and brother.

"So," Alphonse said to him. "I need to ask you something...after the meal."

"That's fine," he said. He looked over at Winry. "Just be sure to make it quick. Winry's wanting me to herself later as well."

"Well, you're certainly Mr. popular, aren't you?"

Alphonse laughed and looked over at May. She had a seat for Shao Mei as well.

Metal clattered on one of the plates. Everyone looked up at the source of the noise.

"-Nngh!"

"What is it, Lan Fan?"

"The...the...it's..."

She made a few uncomfortable noises, and left the table for her and Ling's tent. Ling followed.

"Lan Fan! Are you..."

"It's coming! The baby, it's coming!"

"But it's so early!"

"WELL IT'S COMING. SO HELP ME."

Winry stood up, being the one person who actually knew how to do this stuff.

"I'll be back tonight," she said to Edward, then left the table as well.

There was silence.

"Well, I guess now we can go talk," Alphonse said, standing up. Edward followed him away from the scene, leaving Mustang, Hawkeye, and May at the table.

They walked far away, to where Central H.Q. had once been. Al turned to him.

"I want to ask..."

"Yeah?"

"I just...what can I say to her? To May, I mean?"

Ed raised an eyebrow, confused. "What are you asking?"

"I love her, Ed. And I'm sure of it...it's like telling her flat out isn't enough..."

Edward smiled and looked off at the stars. He felt pride rising up in his stomach.

"That's the beauty of it. There's really no way to say it. That's what makes it so wonderful. Al, you show love - not say it."

Al blushed and nodded.

"You know," Ed continued. "It's like, I raised you."

"No you didn't!" Al laughed back.

"No way! I totally did!"

"I think I'm the one who raised you, Ed."

Ed snickered, then sighed and plopped himself down into the grass. "I'm proud of you, Al."

Al smiled.

"I'm going back now, okay?"

"I'll be there momentarily."

Al took one look around, and saw that all was good. So he left.

.

.

"There you are."

She approached him as he stood at the top of the last building left standing - the belltower. She smiled at him, but his face remained the same as he looked forward.

"What's wrong? Everything's working out now, Roy."

He sighed and shook his head.

"I don't think so..."

"What makes you say that?"

"The feeling in my stomach...it's telling me that we've done all this for nothing..."

"Don't. Everything's..."

She stopped when she got a better look at him. He was still in full uniform, but her military blouse was off, leaving only the black shirt underneath. Her hair was even down. But he maintained his military stance. She silenced herself and looked into the same direction as him.

"What's next, sir?"

"If everything is indeed fine now, we'll head off to Drachma. Tell Ed and his friends to help out around here. When it's completely settled down, we'll start sending people from Drachma back to here, to help out with the rebuilding of agriculture."

"Hm."

.

.

Making his way back after a while of laying there in the grass, Ed smiled to see Winry.

"She's not giving birth yet," Winry said. "False alarm. But it is coming soon. So we'll need to stay here for a while."

"I don't have a problem with that," Ed said, holding out his hand. She looked at it for a minute, smiled, and took his hand. Ed twirled her around, then hugged her against him. They rocked back and forth.

"I'm tired..." she yawned, rubbing his back. He nodded, and picked her up bridal-style, carrying her off to the tent. He laid her down and massaged her shoulders. She relaxed her muscles, tension leaving.

He laid on top of her and fell asleep.

.

.

_thud. thud._

Edward sat up in his tent. Winry moaned.

"What? What is it?"

"I...I thought I heard something. I'll be right back."

"Ed, wait..."

She dragged herself up, and walked to him.

"Take me with you, I don't wanna be alone."

He hesitated, and nodded.

"Brother?" Al came out of his tent. "What was that noise?"

"I don't know. You heard it too, huh..."

They stood in silence to try and hear it again.

"Elric," Mustang interrupted, coming out of his tent. "You should come with me."

Edward nodded, and kissed Winry's hand.

"I'll be right back, Winry."

He headed towards the belltower with Mustang. Once they reached the top, he pointed. "Look through the sniper scope."

Edward looked and saw what he couldn't believe. On the horizon, past the walls, was a massive horde. One like he'd never seen before - thousands of them. And they didn't look anywhere near like the ones they had been encountering.

These were menacing. Blood ran down their faces in all directions. They ran, instead of walking. Some were huge, muscular, unproportional.

"Well, they can't get past the walls, right?"

"I'd hope not. We need to get Alphonse working on the walls before-"

_THUD. THUD._

"-Before they break through! But that needs to happen NOW."

Edward ran down the stairs. The thudding grew louder as he made his way back to camp.

"Alphonse! We need you to fix up the walls!"

"Why? What's going on?"

"They're huge on the other side, Al! I don't know if they're strong enough to break through, but if they can make noises like those..."

Al nodded and ran towards the wall. Edward headed to the halls, preparing to evacuate cities if need be. But when he approached the door, all he heard were groans.

"Mustang!" Ed yelled. Roy came running.

"What is it?"

"They've already broken through the halls! If we evacuate, we need to go underground!"

"There is no underground here! You'd have to dig very deep to get past the sewers - which they could easily get into from outside the city. Going under would be a suicide mission."

"What the hell? So we're just stuck here?"

The three military officers came out now, for the first time in a long while.

"What's going on, Mustang?"

"What's all the ruckus?"

"Men - I need you to find a way out of the city if we need to get out of here. Try under the belltower - there are unexplored caverns underneath it. If they don't lead to a sewer system, come back."

They saluted him and ran off.

"Edward - you and I will stay here and try to keep things under control."

"Sir, should we get Ling's help? He can perform Alkahestry and all..."

"You do that. I'll wait here."

Edward ran to Ling's tent and was immediately greeted by the tip of his sword.

"Oh, it's you, Ed...what's with all the noise?"

"The city is about to be infiltrated. We need your help sealing the walls in, making them thicker."

"That takes forever! It would be a day or two!"

"That's why we need you! Al's got the left part, you can take the right and-"

"Forget it, Edward. I can't leave Lan Fan, even for a day. Even an hour."

Edward looked at the sleeping woman, and shook his head.

"Ling, if you don't get there now, we could all die. Even her."

"Is it really that serious? What if she gives birth?"

"Well, Winry is here! And so is May - she can perform Alkahestry!"

"You'll stay here, too."

"If you need me to."

Ling got up, kissed Lan Fan on the forehead, and exited the tent.

"Edward, you'd better not-"

**_CRASH._**

Ed jumped.

"Shit. Guys, to the belltower. Go! You too, Ling!"

"What? But you just told me to-"

"GO TO THE BELLTOWER, LING."

"What about Lan Fan?"

"We'll carry her!"

"Forget that! I'll carry her, damnit!"

Ling pushed Ed out of the way and struggled to lift his wife. She woke up, but didn't say a word as he ran off with her.

"Winry! May! Get over here!"

Winry and May ran to him, but already knew their orders.

"I'll take May to the tower, Ed. You go get Alphonse."

"Right."

Edward sprinted to the left side of the city.

"ALPHONSE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"BROTHER-I'M HERE! HURRY!"

Edward ran towards the voice, and found Alphonse fending off a few slow Zombies.

"Alphonse, we don't have time to fight! We need to run!"

"What are you talking about? They can't exactly chase us!"

"YES, THEY CAN! THEY'RE CHANGING, AL!"

Al widened his eyes and ran towards Ed. Then, together.

But even the moans and cries of the Zombies didn't block out the scream from nearby.

"LAN FAN! LAN FAN, NO!"

"Fuck!" Ed yelled, screaming in response. "LING, WE'RE COMING!"

Ed and Al ran to where Ling was. The Zombies that had been there were all mutilated on the ground. Ling was holding Lan Fan in his hands.

"What happened?" Alphonse yelled. Ling didn't respond.

Wind blew by, which was something they hadn't felt since the whole operation began. Strong winds.

"Go away."

"Ling?" Ed asked, taking one step closer. Ling sharply turned around.

"I SAID GO AWAY, DAMN YOU!"

Ed jumped, and caught a glimpse of Lan Fan. Blood poured out of several open wounds. Most horrifying of all, her stomach was completely gone.

"Lan Fan! Lan Fan!"

"She...she's dead..."

Ling threw a knife at Al, scratching his cheek.

"I SAID LEAVE!"

Al growled at him, but Ed put a hand on his shoulder.

"We need to go, Alphonse."

"But what about-"

"Lan Fan's dead...leave the man be..."

Edward took Al to the tower, but stopped as they reached the foot of it. Everyone was there, but Winry.

"Where..."

He turned around.

"Winry?"

No response.

"WINRY?"

He ran in the opposite direction.

"WINRY, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Edward!"

He turned left to see her, approaching him. Her leg was impaled with a pole, which stuck out of it painfully.

"What the-"

"They're using weapons," she cried. "They're fucking using weapons, Edward!"

He ran to her and looked at it. It was worse up close. Amputation was possibly the only way to keep it from hurting her further. But he didn't have time for that.

"They're close - I need your help though!"

Edward picked her up and carried her piggy back, running to the belltower. But then...

Then it suddenly ignited.

"Mustang?"

He caught up to the group. Al was there, along with May, Mustang, and Hawkeye. The three soldiers were gone.

"Did they ever return?" Ed asked.

"Only Havoc - he was bitten in one of the tunnels."

"So they are in the sewers..."

Mustang snapped and put them in a large ring of fire.

"Thank God it isn't raining," Hawkeye started, but finished the statement by lifting her gun. "Alphonse, we need you to try to dig a tunnel that won't lead to a sewer."

"That's impossible," Mustang stated. "Everything under the tower is sewer."

"Then I'll dig deeper," Al growled. "I'll build walls and everything to protect us...thick ones..."

Mustang nodded. Alphonse began to burrow under the ground in complicated patterns, trying to make sure any falls wouldn't lead to immediate death. Edward looked at Mustang.

"Okay!" Alphonse yelled. "Everyone get in!"

The women first - May, then Winry. Hawkeye refused. Edward was about to get in, but turned around last minute.

"Are you guys coming?"

Mustang approached the hole.

"Elric. Head to Drachma."

"What?"

"I'm bombing the area..."

"But how? What the hell, Mustang?"

"We set the whole place up with TNT."

"HUH?"

"This will be the last time we meet, Elric."

"WHAT ABOUT HAWKEYE? DAMN YOU, MUSTANG, SHE LOVES YOU! Are you just letting her live to-"

"I'm staying with him," Hawkeye insisted. Ed gulped.

"Go, Elric. They're starting to go through the fire..."

Edward nodded and jumped into the hole. Al sealed it off.

"What about Mustang and Hawkeye?" Winry cried.

"They're suicide bombing the place..."

"Well what about Ling and Lan Fan?"

"Lan Fan's dead, Winry. And Ling wouldn't leave her."

Winry's eyes filled with tears.

.

.

**Drachma. Four Months Later.  
>7:06 AM.<strong>

Any undead who dared try to get into Drachma was sure to face sudden redeath.

It was booby trapped. The whole place.

When Edward and Alphonse entered with their women months ago, everyone greeted them as if they were heroes for surviving so long on their own. But their tale was soon forgotten. In a world where everyone was working, they didn't have time for stories and funfare.

Edward and Winry were officially married, and although they had seen their fair share of nightmares, they stuck together through it all, and were quite possibly the happiest couple there.

Alphonse and May Chang were engaged shortly afterwards. Turns out, Alphonse was finally able to put everything into words.

The deaths of Mustang and Hawkeye, Ling Yao and Lan Fan, Havoc, Breda, and Falman were all recorded, and put into the Drachma Z-Memorial, marking the recorded deaths of everyone in the crisis.

"Alphonse..."

Edward looked at his brother, who was sitting in a pile of snow.

"Yes, Ed?"

"Remember when everything was about Alchemy?"

"Yeah..."

"The saying 'Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return'..."

"Yeah?"

"I think...there's another part to it."

"I do too..."

Edward blinked and Al looked up at the sun, hidden by the clouds just enough so that he could catch the glimpse.

"Humankind will never gain anything until something is taken from everyone..."

"Are you saying we could all learn from this?"

"I think everyone has..."

Edward nodded, and picked up his shovel.

"Well, I'm on plow duty. Have to keep the major walkways ice-free. Isn't this exciting?"

"Missing the glory days of killing undead?"

Edward shook his head.

"Hell no."

The brothers departed. Al continued looking at the clouds. For a moment, just a moment, he thought he saw a cloud in the shape of a dove. He sighed.

"Maybe there is hope for us..."

.

.

**End.**

* * *

><p><strong>note. <strong>How was that for the first ending? I totally just massacred the whole cast but four of them. And now I'll never go to sleep again. Congratulations, self.

ANYWAYS - There WILL BE AN ALTERNATE ENDING. It will be released either next week or the week after. The happy ending.

Thanks for your support.


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